Mass Effect 3: Redemption
by SwordofMercy
Summary: This isn't about saving the galaxy Shepard, this is about redeeming it from a mistake that was made countless lives ago. In redemption lies true salvation.- Ghost A Mass Effect 3 Rewrite (Reboot)
1. Intro

Author's Note

If you don't want to read my rant, skip to Chapter 1. This is just planned stuff.

Now before I get started on explaining why, how, and where I plan to take this story I want to point something out about the title because chances are, I am going to get flamed for it. The title, "Mass Effect: Redemption", is NOT a redemption about the game... Well it sorta is when I think about it. But I originally did not give it this title because because of the events that are to take place in my version. This is a story about unity, redemption, acceptance, ect. So for the love of Garrus, do not post ANYTHING about me saying my work is better. I am not saying my work is better, as that is up to the reader.

Now, you all might be wondering by now, "Okay where is this crazy writer going?" But that requires me to explain several things, all leading up to the simple phrase, "I hated Mass Effect 3." Once again, before anyone burns me, let me explain even further. Yes, I will admit, those bullshit-water-wheel-logic endings had something to do with it, but after a few months of contemplating it, I realized that the entire ME3 game was a disappointment. I cannot stress enough that this is my opinion, so if you LOVE the third game of the trilogy: Good on you. If you hated it: Good on you too. But after playing all three games several times, you will note the ME3 not only creates plot-holes of its own and fails to fill them, but also fails to fill the plots established in the first two games. And this goes beyond the 'Dark Energy Plot' and why the Reapers are invading. Now, I really would like to list the plots I found that led to absolutely nowhere, but I want to save that for this story; Don't wanna give too much away. There is also the logistical problems in the story. It's like the writers that spent so much time so much time doing research on actual scientific theories and keeping track of game lore left and were replaced by 'space magic' chanting ninnies... Oh that's right, they were. There is also some major problems in design. First of all, the Normandy's layout is a joke. What did they forget that was the ship of the series? Then there is character design, mainly Ashley and EDI. Let's just say I lost some respect toward Bioware when I saw them. And let's not forget those fetch quests, because Bioware apparently thought we would want them in ME3 when we clearly did not enjoy them in DA2.

Basically, I could go on and on about what is wrong with the game, but then I would start ranting and never shut up. So to get to the point, this is my thing: I am re-writing ME3. That's right, I am working to piss **that** many people off. I am going to pretend that ME3 NEVER happened, and write my own version: One that would be my ideal game. Now, I am not saying my story is better (I'm in the process of editting), but its my story for my characters. Now this version will sorta follow the same path as ME3, in terms of main events. But (a huge but) there are going to be major differences concerning character design, interactions, dialog, assests, side-quest, consequences, ect. In short, it is a huge project that I really want to share with you.

Now I can't actually list the things I changes because I don't want to give anything away, but I am going to list a few 'game mechanics' that would be changes:

Assets are divided between Crucible Assets and War Assets. Certain missions will give you on one kind, or you will have to make a decision between the two. This adds variety to the endings (Other than the color of the beam).

Character classes are reconfigured. This is due to the fact that the companion classes are just balanced. You have three soldiers (If Ashley lived and Javik is in the party), a sniper, two engineers, and a biotic. Comparing that to the last to games, the ME3 squad is just plain weak. So to compensate this, Edi's class will be edited, and two more characters will be added to the squad... Anyone got any ideas?

Javik is part of the 'main game' not a DLC. That was bullshit that Bioware pulled him at the last minute to make ten extra dollars.

Dialog will change to actual Paragon, Neutral and Renagade responses. The 'auto-dialog' will vary depending on whether you are one of the three. Kinda like what the auto-dialog was like in DA2. Or it will be limited... Need to decide.

Shepard's history will be implemented into the story. For instance, if you picked the Torfan profile, you will run into an NPC on a sidequest that served under you, and hold a deep grudge against you. If you did not pick Torfan, than the NPC only makes comments about their grudge toward the Alliance. Simple.

Now I'm giving stuff away!

I hope you enjoy my work. Feel free to rate, review, flame, or ignore. I will add more notes to the end of chapters that are altered so don't worry.


	2. Chapter 1 Updated

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of its characters. Only added Ocs are mine.

Name: Eve Shepard

History: Colonist and Sole Survivor

Class: Adept (Nemesis)

Alignment: Pure Paragon

ME1 Events: Saved the colony of Feros, spared Shiala, released rachni queen, Wrex lived, Kaiden killed on Virmire, Captain Kirahe lived, helped Shiara the Consort (got the trinket and used it), helped Gianna Parasini, stopped Cerberus, did all minor side quests with Paragon outcomes (too long to list), saved the Council, received Elkos Combine license, recovered all matriarch writtings, salarian tags, and elements, chose Anderson for council, stopped Garrus from killing Dr. Heart (Garrus chose to return to C-Sec after mission), gave Tali the Geth data for her pilgrimage, saved Terra Nova, completed Pinnacle Station, did NOT romance anyone.

ME2 Events: Received all ship enhancements, earned everyone's loyalty, saved Orianna, Jacob's father was arrested, Jack spared Aresh, Garrus did not kill Sidonis, Tali found innocent, Mordin released Maelon, rewrote the Heretics for Legion, Kasumi kept memory box, helped workers escape factory but Paragoned Zaeed's loyalty, helped Samara kill Morinth, helped Grunt join clan Urdnot (killed Thresher Maw, Wrex likey), completed Project Firewalker, released David from Project Overlord and took him to Grissom Academy, completed the Arrival and tried to save the batarians, helped Liara become the new Shadow Broker, did all minor sidequests with Paragon outcomes, romance Garrus.

Note:... Seriously, I literally did every sidequest and mission in all three games. I wikied to make sure... Freaky quest hoarder. No wonder I like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls so much -_-.

Chapter 1

Eve smiled as she gazed upon the young boy running around in his yard; A toy ship grasped in his small hand as he imagined it flight. Her heart swelled with both happiness and despair at the sight. To know that such innocence still existed in in galaxy, lifted the woman's spirits. Yet this innocence only meant that the child was unaware of the war that was coming, that was here. And soon his life, and the lives of millions of others across the galaxy, would be shattered, if not completely swept away into oblivion. Such a thought, nearly broke her, but only just. For she would not allow her darkest thoughts to betray her strength. She would fight, and continue to fight until the galaxy was safe once more. She wold fight because she was meant to, she would fight because everyone depended on her, she would fight because no other could, she would fight because she had dreams outside of war and death.

Shepard groaned softly and rested her head against the window; Her thoughts once more scattered between the past, present, and future. In the past, she had never questioned her skills, nor her morality, nor her place in the galaxy. She new that she was a good person, as she had set herself out to bring happiness and safety to others. She new that she was a good leader at most times, but could fault at other. She knew that she had friends that cared for her, and that she loved them as much as they loved her. Her life had been hard; It had always been hard. The death of her family on Mindior, the loss of her team on Akuze, the events of the last two decades all seemed to pile up on her bare shoulders. But it was her life none-the-less, and she had always made the best of it.

Now, as the dark threat of the Reapers loomed so close, she could not help but feel lost. She was afraid. Only a few years ago she was just an Alliance soldier, ready to serve the Alliance and protect the people of the galaxy. But then she was offered the chance of a lifetime, to become a Specter, a protector to all the known races. Yet fate had other plans. Saren, the Geth, Sovereign, her death, the Collectors, Cerberus, Harbinger; All leading to loss, pain, and the possibility that the galaxy might come to an abrupt end... Again. The Commander did not know whether fate had deemed her to be the savior of her galaxy because she was truly the only one that could, or if it was just a cruel joke against the hope the universe placed upon her.

"Commander."

Eve quickly turned to find Lieutenant Vega saluting her near the doorway; A small smirk plastered on his face from her own look of surprise. Pulling herself away from the window Eve replied, "You not supposed to call me that anymore James," her own sad smile graced her pale, freckled face. Vega only shrugged and said, "Well I'm not supposed to salute you either." Before Shepard could reply the soldier continued, "Why gotta go. The Admiralty Board wants to see you." Eve's face blanked out all emotion for a second, before a look of determination filled her azure eyes. "Sounds important", she said as she tossed away the data pad she was reviewing and followed the large man.

Upon entering the hall, Eve immediately noticed how the hall was crowded with Alliance officers; Each rushing off to their own destination. Their voices morphed together into a sound of desperation. Upon their passing, Eve noticed something in each of their eyes that sent a shiver down her spine: Fear. Something was horribly wrong, and in the very fiber of her being, Eve knew exactly what is was they feared. She dreaded it to be correct.

Noticing that James had walked ahead, Eve jogged to catch up with him. They had slight difficulty finding their way through crowd of nearly panicking people. James grunted as a soldier collided into his shoulder. The officer in turn, did not even look back to apologize to the larger man. James only sighed and shook his head. "Seems like everyone's gone loco today. Even the Admiralty Board looked like they all wanted to throw themselves out a window." I glanced a Shepard and asked, "Do you know what's going on Commander?" Before Eve could answer, I familiar face caught her attention. A warm smile splayed upon her face as she reached out to shake the hand of David Anderson.

" Good to see you Shepard", he said as he grasped Shepard's hand.

"Councilor Anderson", Shepard greeted as she gave Anderson's hand a firm shake.

Anderson's smile seemed to falter slightly before he replied, "It's Admiral now. I resigned from the Council when Hackett informed me of your... arrest." Shepard frowned slightly at the new information. She had chosen Anderson to be the Councilor because she irrefutably trusted that he would do what was best for not only humanity, but for the other races of the galaxy as well. To hear that he had resigned because of her own actions did not bode well for the ex-Commander. Something indeed, was very wrong.

"Who holds the seat now?" asked Eve, though deep down she knew already what the answer.

Anderson replied with a deeper frown, "I was advised to allow Udina to be my successor, when I announced I was stepping down. With all that has happened in the last few years, and what is going to happen, I felt that I should be on the front lines instead of behind a desk."

Eve started, but felt her blood run cold as she realized what he was implying, "What's going on Anderson?" The Admiral motioned for Shepard and James to follow him. Spine set rigid, and every step held a pace of urgency. His voice held a tone that demanded full attention. "Admiral Hackett is mobilizing the fleets. I'm guessing word has made it to Alliance Command, something big is heading our way." He stopped as he heard Shepard's own footsteps fall silent. Turning around, he found the Commander standing at the bottom of the stairs; Amber eyes wide with realization, back rigid, fingers twitching, and her mouth was set in a hard line. She knew what the Admiral spoke of. She knew and dreaded it to be true.

"The Reapers?" she asked in a toneless voice.

Anderson only shook his head before replying, "We don't know. Not for certain."

Eve's eyes locked with his as she said, "Then what else could it be sir?"

Once again, Anderson fell silent for a moment before he said sullenly, "If I knew that Shepard..."

The Commander's head was swarmed by negative thoughts. Some questioned how they had received no warning that the Reapers had arrived from dark-space, others about how ready the fleets were. Some even questioned if the other civilizations were ready to aid Earth, and in return, if Earth was ready to aid them. Then there was that small voice in the back of Eve's head, that questioned upon the safety of her crew; her friends, her family, the center of her own world. Perhaps even more, she questioned the safety of Garrus.

Knowing that each second that passed would prove to be precious, Eve Shepard said with a frown, "It must be the Reapers. And you know we aren't ready to face them." Anderson shrugged slightly as he continued to walk on. "Tell that to the Board," he said with what Eve thought was a soft chuckle. Jogging slightly, Eve managed to catch up with him. "Sir," she began, "If the Reapers are here then we need to prepare now. Not sit around discussing if it is them or not." She heard Anderson sigh softly before he replied, "It's not that easy Shepard. They're just scared." The soldiers dodge a groups of officers as the hurriedly turned a corner. Neither party stopped to salute one another, but rather continued on their own missions. Anderson glanced at Shepard and Vega before he continued on. "We don't know even why the Reapers are doing this, why they are continuing to do this. That's what scares them, hell even me, the most. But you," he glanced a Shepard once again with both pride and sorrow, "none of us have seen what you've seen. We've reviewed your reports, seen the data you've collected, but its all just theory to us. You've been there, fighting in the trenches. You know what they are capable of."

Eve halted once again as she stared at Anderson. "Then why take away my ship sir?" she asked as calmly as she could, "I could have gotten more data. I could have helped everyone prepare-"

"It's not that simple Shepard!" interrupted Anderson sternly as he came to a stop and stand in front of the ex-Commander. He continued, "If it were my choice, I would have let you keep the Normandy, hell I would have given you a medal for saving our asses from the Collectors. I would have let you do what you do best and help save us all. But when you blew up that Alpha Relay, hundreds of thousands of Batarians died. The Alliance couldn't afford to lose the support from the other Council races, and I wasn't going going to lose you to the Batarians!"

Eve stared at Anderson in shock and honor; Shock from the berayal she received from the Alliance, but honor in hearing of Anderson's concerns for her. She has long ago accepted that Anderson was a father-figure to her, after she had lost her own on Mindoir. To the young woman, he was a figure that one could turn to when they needed strength, comfort, and resolve. And at this point, Eve needed as mush of each as she could get."If I could have saved them I would have sir," she began with a calmer voice, "but there is too much at risk to think back on what I could have done. For now, I can only work to save as many as everyone else as I can."

Anderson simply nodded; His face still grimly set. "I know that Shepard," he replied solemnly, "never doubt that. And this Comity believes in you as well."

Eve chuckled softly in amusement before saying, "Are you sure it just wasn't your good word?" Anderson?"

"I've always trusted you Shepard. Now I am asking you to trust me."

The ex-Commander frowned as if slightly offended."I do trust you sir," she said, "But you know as much as I do that I'm a just a soldier, not a politician."; Though some may suggest otherwise given her highly 'paragon' attitude.

"Sometimes, that's what politics needs," replied Anderson with a smile of his own, "The 'Just Soldiers' to tell the politicians to stop being politicians for once." Eve couldn't help but smile at his apparently new philosophy, and did not hesitate to follow the Admiral once more. Perhaps this was payback for the time she made him the Councilor of humanity. For those last few moments, they walked in silence before reaching the hearing room. A young woman, perhaps the secretary, saluted them upon their arrival before she said, "The Board is expecting you two. Please follow me." In quick, almost urgent strides, they followed the young brunette. As they reached the door, the secretary came to a halt to speak to another 'pencil-pusher' to discuss, from what Eve could only guess, whether or not the Comity was ready for the next hearing. A warm hand on Eve's shoulder forced her to turn and face Vega, who smirked lightly and extended his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you Commander," he said in a tone of great respect. With a small smile of her own, Eve took the large man's hand and gave it a firm shake. She heard the Admiral's voice greet anther individual, but paid little attention to what he was saying as she was about to talk to Vega. Suddenly I familiar, yet strangely bone-chilling, voice reached her ears. "Shepard?" it said.

Eve turned quickly to meet the familiar face of Ashley Williams. Her long, brown hair was pulled back into her signature bun, though it showed signs of increased length. Her body, as it always had before, still maintained a look of physical fitness that was only achieved through years of combat training. She wore what the common alliance uniform, just as the one Eve wore at that very moment, though it showed signs of more wear. Her face, remained the same; Sun-tanned, toned, and strict with a dash of childishness in those brown eyes. It was good to see that she still maintained many aspects of her old self, Eve noted in hope. "Ashley?" Eve asked in near shock and slight relief. Ashley seemed to smile stiffly at the Commander, perhaps out of mistrust or the need to save face. Anderson quickly stepped in before a tense silence could fester.

"Shepard," he began, "Lieutenant-Commander Williams has just delivered her report to the Board." He turned to look directly at Williams as he asked, " How did it go Lieutenant-Commander?" Eve couldn't help but notice that his voice held a slight edge of hope under the authoritative tone. It made her uneasy to think that the Admiralty Board would continue to ignore the data she had given them. She prayed to whatever immortal denizen that would listen, that they would see the danger now.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I can never tell with them. They've ordered me to stay close by while they interview you and the Comma... Shepard. But other than that, just typical politics." Anderson chuckled softly at the comment, and Eve could not help but smile, only to have it wiped away in confusion.

"Lieutenant-Commander?" she asked in slight disbelief.

Anderson glanced over with a cocked brow before he said, "You hadn't heard?"

Eve shook her head, her eyes never leaving the now nervously shifting Ashley. "No, I hadn't", she said softly.

Ashley looked ashamed for a brief moment, or perhaps the Commander imagined it. With a tense tone of voice she said, "Sorry Shepard. It's been... Well, it been hectic." Eve only smiled sadly once again, understanding Ashley's true intentions for her secrecy, but did not voice any form of retort. She had accepted long ago that whatever relationship Ashley and her had as friends was most likely over, due to their confrontation on Horizon, though the Commander knew she did what needed to be done. But she also knew that airing the embers of that event would do little good in the times ahead, no matter how tempting it seemed at the time.

"Don't worry about it Ashley," said Eve with a strained smile, "I'm sure you had your reasons."

Ashley was silent for a moment; Staring blankly at the women before her. The only words that lift her lips was a soft "Ya."

Suddenly the secretary from before quickly strolled over to the three companions and stiffly said to the Admiral, "They're ready for you sir."

Anderson gave a quick glance and a nod to the Commander; His eyes sending telling Eve to do everything she could to get the Admiralty Board to take action, to see the danger. "Then we'd better get in there," he said. Eve could only nod, and waited for Anderson to take the lead. As they walked on, Eve threw one last glance at Ashley; Her amber eyes seeking some essence of the woman she once called a friend. As if seeing her desire, Ashley cast her one smile, an actual smile. One that literally screamed, "Good luck Commander. Kick their asses if you have to." The Commander returned with a true smile of her own. Her spirit lifted slightly at the prospect of gaining her old friend back; A needed stability in the harsh times to come. As the Commander passed through the large double doors, she failed to her the conversation the two remaining soldiers had.

James turned to look down on the shorter soldier as he asked, "You know the Commander?"

Ashley's smile vanished in an instant, recalling the events that happened years before, and the betrayal she felt just months ago. In a cold voice that matched her now stern face, she replied, "I used to." Without waiting for an answer from James, Ashley quickly turned on her heel, and walked briskly down the hall; Her mind filled with the thoughts of a time when things were much less complicated.

Eve walked into a large, windowed room to come face-to-face with the Alliance Admiralty Board. Each member's face was set grimly; There somber eyes fixed on the Commander and asking her the same question. Eve wished she could feel some form of pity for them, for the weight upon their shoulders, and perhaps even pride in their actions to prepare Earth for the coming invasion. But at the same time, she felt nothing but hatred towards them. She had tried to warn them of the Reaper's invasion, she even turned herself into the authorities shortly after her mission against the Collectors. And yet, they continued to second-guess her at every turn; Constantly claiming that she was wrong about her findings. The Commander didn't know who was worst, the Council or the Board. She had hoped that within these last few months, they had taken the action that Anderson assured her they were taking. Otherwise humanity, let alone the entire galaxy, would be lost.

Anderson quickly walked to stand before the Board. He did not offer a salute to the Board; Just a simple nod of his head, and a quick glance to each member. With his spine set steel-rigged and in a gruff voice he asked, "What's the situation?"

One of the Board members, an old man with a very stern face, gravelly replied, "We were hoping that Shepard could tell us that." He threw a quick glance at the Commander; His eyes filled with a mixture of mistrust, confusion, and hope. "We trust that she will be forthcoming with any information," he continued before falling silent. But before Eve could conjure an answer, or perhaps a retort, of her own, the Admiral's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Shepard has been telling you for the nearly four years what was coming, and now you want to listen to her?" he said in an angered voice. "After stripping her of her rank and branding her a criminal?" At this point, Eve did not know whether to be proud or intimidated toward the now irritated Admiral.

Another Board member with a face just as stern as the lasts, scowled heavily as he said, "That is quite enough Admiral Anderson. I am sure that the Commander can speak for herself." His gaze seemed to soften slightly, but only slightly, as he turned to look at the Commander. "Shepard?" he said in a strict, but gentle voice. The Commander glanced at the Admiral, looking for some form of support. Anderson only nodded in quietly said, "Go on now."

With a deep breath to calm her nerves, the Commander took those few steps forward to stand directly in from the the Alliance Admiralty Board. A deathly silence had filled the room. Every individual within waiting to here the answers to nearly impossible question. With one last breath, Eve said in the strongest voice she could muster, "What is it you want to know?" The Board members glanced at one another, before one of them, an elderly woman with kind face, activated her console and made a large map of the galaxy appear. With the flick of her wrist, she focused it upon one of the outer systems that was controlled by the Alliance."At exactly 2300," began the woman, "one of our deep space outposts detected energy readings the likes of which they had never encountered before." She paused for a moment, to gain her the control of the fear that had seeped into her voice. "By 2400," she continued, "we had lost contact with that base, along with three others in the surrounding area."

"Shepard," said the kinder male Board member, "do you know what could be causing this?"

Shepard stared stared at the star-map for a moment of silence, before it disappeared in a flash. She wished to tell the Board what was coming, in a manner that could vent her frustrations. She wished she could yell, and scream at them for not listening to her, after everything she had done for not just humanity, but for the galaxy. But she had long ago learned to control such negative outbursts, though she never learned to fully quell the temptation to 'fly off the rail'. Meeting the eyes of the Board, the Commander bluntly, but calmly stated, "You brought me here to confirm what you already know." Her gaze drifted across the faces in the room as she then said, "The Reapers are here."

The room became alive with mixed chatter. Some of it was the wishes of those asking for it not to be true, others were short curses of rage and fear. Some even became prays to whatever great being that would listen, for strength and safety. Others, were simply muttered an excuses before the speakers quickly left the room; A last chance to call their families to get to safety. The Board quickly called the room to order, ushering in a newly born silence; A tense fog hung in the air as the onlookers twitched and muttered in their seats. The Board was silent as well, seeming at a loss of words. Finally, after a few moments, the female Board member leaned forward to lock eyes with the Commander. Her kind but jaded eyes demanded the Commander's full attention, and the undeniable truth as she asked, "Then, how do we stop them?"

Shepard could only reply, "By fighting back," she replied in her commanding tone. She heard the mutters rise once again but chose to ignore it as she continued, "These things, are not going to react to motions of compromise. They don't have knowledge of it. They will never show us mercy. And they will never take pity on us."

"But how?" asked the first Board member, "How can we possibly fight something like this?"

Shepard glanced around the room, ensuring that she had the attention of every person in the room. "If we are going to have any chance against the Reapers," she said in her still confident voice, "everyone in the galaxy must be willing to stand together."

"That's it?" said one of the Board members in irritation and disbelief, "That's our grand plan?" But before Eve could say another word, the young secretary from before raised her voice above the rabble; Her words sent an unforgettable chill down Shepard's spine. "We just lost contact with Lunar Base."

"The moon? But that's not possible," came Anderson's voice.

"How could have gotten past our defenses?" asked one of the Board members.

"I'm getting feeds worldwide" the secretary called over the sounds of panic that began to fill the room. She activated her console in trembling fingers as she said, "You may want to see this."

And in that moment, that one moment that the screen at the back of the hearing room came to life, did Eve realize that the Reapers were not something to be feared. No, they were something much worse. They were the darkest creatures that one would hear stories about at a child from their parents. It would only be years later that they would realize that such tales are of fantasy alone; An entity that should not be feared as it did not exist. Only this time, with the Reapers, such tales were real.

The screen was filled with the images of burning buildings, crashing ships, and the firing of weapons. People screamed, ran, fought, and died as the Reapers' husks could be seen running upon the ground. The shadows cast by the colossal-size Reapers that had landed cast some of the footage-blocks into complete darkness. Other blocks trembled at the force of the Reapers making contact with the Earth. And all that ran through Eve's mind at that point, the one thought that silenced all others was, "They are here."

Anderson's voice broke Eve out of her shock. He said in near anger, or perhaps fear, "Why haven't we heard from Admiral Hackett? Eve only cast him a single short glance, before her gaze shifted back to the screen that only a sheer fraction of the Earth's destruction was upon. She herself, a woman of optimism, could only dread for the worst at this point.

"What do we do?", came the voice of one of the Board members.

Eve knew the answer, but deep down, she knew it would require some of the greatest sacrifices; Not just from every denizen in the galaxy, but from herself as well. She did not waste any time in questioning if she was ready or not, for she already knew the answer. Giving one last look at the screen, she turned away to stride to the Board's table. In a voice, that some would say held the strength of the entire universe, she proclaimed, "The only thing we can: We show these things that we will not back down without a fight."

No sooner had Eve said those words, did a low, mournful drone fill the air; The bass of the sound reverberated around the room as if to call the army of Hell forth unto the world. The windows behind the Board shuddered ominously as the sound became louder and louder. As the Board members stood from there seats and began to back away from the window, a Reapers dropped down from the sky to land nearby. The room rose up into a panic as the denizens quickly bolted from their seats and to the door. But it was already too late at that point. The hellish beings weapons had already been charged as its fire-red lasers began to cut into the surrounding buildings. Shepard, as if caught in some trance, could only stand there as her greatest fear stood right before her.

"Shepard!", came Anderson's voice that caused Eve to look toward the Admiral, "Move!" Suddenly the laser honed in the the Board room and began to disintegrate everything in it path. "Run", called the Admiral once more. "Go, Go, Go!" Eve wasted no time as she quickly turned to run, but the weapons fire had already been to close. A massive explosion caused the large table nearest to the window to fly over Shepard's head. The force of its heavy landing caused Shepard to stumble, and she turned back to see the once-again, angry red glow of the laser as it was once again fired near her location. The explosion it caused sent her flying back to hit the wall behind her. With a pained grunt, she rolled on her back on remained there for a moment in a daze. For just a moment, one short moment, she thought she was back on the damned surgical table; First awakening from her time as Project Lazarus's test subject.

"Shepard", came a muffled but urgent voice.

The Commander groaned as she slowly forced her body into a fitting position. One of her hands rose up to rub the slowly building ache in her head. Feeling a sticky, wet sensation, Shepard brought her hand to her eyes to see her own blood upon her fingers. "So this really isn't a dream", she thought silently to herself.

"Shepard!"

Her gaze snapped up to see Anderson jogging toward her. His suit was torn, burnt and bloodied, but her himself was well and alive; A fact that Eve was grateful for. With strong hands, he grabbed Shepard's arm and helped her stand on wobbling legs. After a moment to catch her breath, he handed her a standard pistol. The weight of it in her hands felt reassuring but terrifying at the same time; Prepared as a soldier but terrified in facing an nearly unrepeatable force. "Come on," said Anderson has he began to walk toward the now destroyed window, "We have to contact the Normandy and get the hell out of here."

With unshaken hands, Anderson reached up to activate the comm in his ear. His voice seemed to contain a thousand emotions as he tried to contact the Normandy. "Normandy, this is Admiral Anderson. We are at the... Normandy? Normandy do you copy? Joker?!" Anderson shook his head in agitation and he locked eyes with the Commander as he said, "Dammit! It's the Reaper's jamming signal. I can't contact the Normandy from here." He leaned out the window, his eyes turning left and right, as if searching for something. After a moment of silence, he pointed out to what appeared to be the remains of a cruiser; It's skeleton sticking ominously out of the water. "There," he said, "That looks like one of our emergency drop ships. If we can get there, we might be able to find a radio and at least get a partial signal out to the Normandy." He didn't wait for Shepard's reply as he jumped off the window's edge and turned to gaze up at Shepard.

The Commander, in turn, walked closer the windows edge and looked out the the blazing city. She knew those fires would be alive for weeks, or even months before they were put out. It reminded her of the fires the blazed on Mindior when the slavers arrived. But these things, the Repears, were not batarians. No, they were so much worse. She knew that, as did the other civilizations , and the cycles that came countless times before them. But what they didn't know, was that the pattern stopped there. Commander Eve Shepard of the Alliance Navy would make sure of that. With a deep breath to calm herself, and a wish of luck, the Commander lept off the window ledge and proceeded to follow Anderson.

And that's when she heard those God-awful screams; The same screams that would haunt her in the days to come.

It was like a race to the finish-line; Muscles burning, heart bounding, lungs screaming for air, the winds flying through one's hair. If only it were such a race one would have on a warm summer day, rather than a flee for their life.

Shepard and Anderson quickly made their way down the railing and began to work there way toward the crashed cruiser. Quick glimpses at the ground confirmed Shepard's fears as the outlines of husks could be seen from her vantage point. She couldn't bear to watch as the human citizens ran for their own lives. But nothing in the galaxy could block out those terrible screams. The young Commander could only imagine what the Reapers planned to do to the captured civilians; As she had seen what the Collectors had done to the harvested colonists when she and her crew went through the Omega Relay. Deep down, some greedy part of her mind wished that she hadn't been the one to see that, that she hadn't been the one to have been made a Specter and seen such terrible things in the last few years. Sometimes she just wished that she was just an average civilian, trying to make an average living, and pretend that the galaxy did not have such monsters.

Eve shook her head to clear away the dark thoughts. Now was not the time to contemplate the past. There was only the present to live, and the future to look forward to. And just in time as well.

"Husks!", yelled Anderson as they crossed one of the building's roofs. Shepard instinctively raised her gun and aimed at the climbing bodies of the husks. Their gray, deformed bodies and glowing hollow eyes sent a shiver down her spine as she gazed upon them. But that did little to dissuade her from pulling the trigger of her gun. With great accuracy, she shot down the husks that she could, and used her biotics to throw the other ones off the roof. She was not going to risk letting a single husks get away from her alive. To say the least, she was now officially pissed; A shocking revelation due her normally passive attitude.

As soon as the husks were eliminated, Anderson quickly made his way down a ladder; Eve following close behind. Jumping a balcony rail, they came upon an unlocked door. Their relief was short lived however, when the familiar groaning of husks could be heard approaching. Anderson tried to fire at the husks as they climbed the balcony's railing, only to find he was out of ammo. He glanced quickly at Eve to confirm that she was also out.

"Looks like we're doing this the old fashion way," he said as he charged the closest husks he could find. With quick and powerful precision, he delivered a heavy punch to the abomination's head. It wheezed in defiance as it swung its arms at the Admiral, who in turn, ducked out of the way, and punched the husk once more.

Eve wasted little time in joining the Admiral, as she balled up her own fists and turned to an approaching husks. With a cry of her own, the Commander charged her biotics and delivered her own deadly punch to the creature. It stood little chance as it was lifted off the ground, from the extra biotic force, and proceeded to tumble over the rail to its death. A small smile graced her lips as the familiarity of battle began to ease her body. She was a soldier, this was what she was trained to do. And she was not going to allow a bunch of husks from doing what she did best: Kicking ass.

With the last of the husks beaten, Shepard and Anderson turned to the door; Both nearly sighed with relief when it opened to show that no enemies awaited them. A door on the other side of the room signaled a way out, and possibly, a route to the cruiser. Anderson walked up to the door and pressed lightly upon the flickering panel. He cursed softly as the door only opened partially. He motioned Eve over with his hand and said, "Looks like there's a hallway on the other side of this door. See if you can pry it upon enough for me to get through. No point in having us both trapped in their if it turns out to be a dead-end."

Eve nodded and made her way over to the door. As she reached for one of the door's panels, a husks reached out trough the gap and attempted to grab the Commander. She quickly lept away from the door, and once again charging her biotics, delivered a heavy punch to the creeper; It body seemed to explode as its blue, and possibly synthetic blood, covered parts of the door.

Anderson's and Eve's heavy breathing filled the air for a moment, before the Admiral said with a soft chuckle, "Dammit. I'm too old for these continuous surprises." Shepard could only offer a faint smile as she once again moved to force the door open. With a soft grunt, the young woman wedged herself between the metal panels and forced her arms forward. The door squealed slightly as she increased the gap between the two sides. Anderson, seeing how Eve struggled holding the door, wasted no time as he ducked down, and quickly squeezed himself through the gap. He glanced around the hallway quickly before stating, "Looks pretty bad, but we might be able to dig ourselves through. Let's me see if I can find something to keep the door open. Hopefully, other survivors will get the hint and follow our path." He didn't even glanced back at Eve as he began to dig through the piles of debris.

Suddenly, a faint sound caught the Commander's attention. She turned her eyes toward the room once more; Looking for the sound's source. She could have sworn it was someone crying. With a quick glance at Anderson, Eve pulled herself out from between the doors and began her own search. As she neared a ventilation duct, she heard a gasp, and glanced over quickly enough to see the face of a retreating child. "Hey," she said softly as she approached. Crouching low, her fears were correct as she stared into the bruised face of a young boy. Eve could have sworn it was the same boy that she saw from her window earlier before.

The boys eyes were filled with tears and he tried to scoot himself farther away from the Commander. His soft, terrified voice nearly broke Eve's heart as he said, "Who... Who are you?" Shepard was about to answer, only to be interrupted be the sudden thunder-like sound, of a passing Reaper. A quick few of the rooms window confirmed that their location was not the safest.

Eve once again locked eyes with the child and softly said, "I'm Commander Shepard."

The boys face seemed to perk up and a very small smile seemed to grace his face. "The one from the news?" he said, "The Shepard?"

"Yes," replied the Commander patiently, though her body screamed for her to grab the boy and run for safety. Slowly, as not to startle the boy, Eve raised her hand for the boy to take. "It's not safe here," she said as calmly as she could, "Come on. Take my hand."

What smile the boy seemed to have quickly fell from his face and he quickly looked away from the Commander. His eyes were once more filled with tears as he met Shepard's gaze once again. "You can't help me," he whispered ever-so calmly.

Eve was about to retort, perhaps scream at the boy in desperation, or even use her biotics to drag the child into her arms and tell him he was wrong. But Anderson's voice made her tear her amber eyes away from the boy.

"Shepard," called Anderson as he stepped through the door; It panels held open by a metal bar that Anderson had most likely scavenged. Seeing where the Commander was, Anderson briskly walked over to stand near his companion. "What is it?" he asked in a slightly worried tone.

"There's a kid in here sir," Eve quickly replied, "I'm not leaving him." The last part of her statement left little room for debate from the normally peaceful woman.

Anderson flicked his eyes to the duct entrance, a look of confusion upon his face. "Shepard," he said slowly and with concern, "there's no one there." Eve was about to retort, but quickly turned her eyes to find that the Admiral spoke the truth. The boy was gone. Eve didn't know what she felt: grief, anger, confusion, or even fear; The fear that perhaps she was beginning to lose her mind. Anderson left little time for her to decide as his voice summoned her from her contemplation.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get moving." He didn't wait for Eve as he turned quickly away and made his way through the newly created door. The young woman hesitated for a moment, her eyes locked onto the air vent. She prayed to whatever deity that was willing to listen, to ensure that the child remained safe. With a heavy spirit, Eve rose to stand, and followed the Admiral through the door.

"What a goddamn mess", Shepard heard Anderson mutter as he bent down to shove a plate of metal out of the way. Eve walked up to stand behind the Admiral, but made no remark as he continued, "Every minute those things are here, thousands of innocent lives are lost." The Admiral paused is work for a brief moment, his eyes losing focusing and his face becoming blank. With a shake of his head, he continued to push bits of metal off the path. "I can't... I won't be responsible for that", he said softly.

Eve nodded her head in understanding; A look of regret flashing through her ember eyes. "I know the feeling sir," she said, "It's one thing to fight a war, but knowing you can't save the all..." She closed her eyes, remembering how she coped with the lives lost in the Battle of the Citadel, to the Collectors, and even the lives of the Batarians of the Alpha Relay incident. Looking once more to meet the eyes of the Admiral, her own holding her resolve and regret, she said, "It only makes the fight that much harder. All we can due is fight to save those that we can."

"You're right Shepard," replied Anderson forlornly, "And we'll make sure those bastards pay for the lives they took so that those who are left know their deaths were not meaningless." He motioned for Shepard to go under a large metal plating, to which the young woman gladly obliged. She grunted as she forced the plat upward, and allowed the Admiral to pass through. "They just came so damn fast," he said a frustrated, if not angry, tone, "We knew they were coming, but I always thought we would have more time. They just cut through our defenses and are now destroying everything in there path."

When a sigh of relief the Commander quickly maneuvered herself out from under the metal, and allowed in to fall with a heavy crash. She stretched her arms to work out the dull pain that had built from the strain and turned to find Anderson crouched down and looking under another pile of deformed metal.

"We have to get to the Citadel," he said with resolve and he turned to lock eyes with Shepard, "talk to the Council. The Reapers sure as hell are not going to stay on Earth for long. Hell, they may very well have already reached the other home-worlds for all we know!"

The Commander felt her blood run cold. Leave Earth? When the Reapers were destroying everything that was humanity? In the very fiber of her being, she knew the Admiral was right, but still...

"I know your right sir, but I can't do that." said the woman sternly, "I can't abandon Earth while the Reapers are here destroying humanity."

"I know its hard Shepard." replied Anderson in a fatherly tone; Soft, but leaving no room for defiance, "But like you said, the only way we will be able to defeat the Reapers, is if everyone is going to have to stand together. And if anyone can unite the galaxy, it's you."

"No pressure huh?" said Eve with a soft smirk as they work themselves through the warped metal. The Admiral chuckled as he replied, "With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance? No, no pressure at all." But his light mood only lasted briefly. As they came to stand at the ledge of a deep drop, Anderson added, "But you aren't alone in this Shepard. The Council will listen to you." The young woman only shrugged, and skeptically replied, "You think so?"; Recalling upon the times that Council continuously second-guessed her at every turn.

Anderson seemed to pause, as if contemplating the validity of his previous statement. With a nearly silent sigh he motioned for Eve to stand on the ledge first. Seconds ticked by in silence as the two soldiers slowly shuffled their way across the thin ledge. "They have to," said Anderson as if he were trying to convince himself, "You were a Specter. That has to count for something. And with the Reapers already here, I can't even imagine that they would turn you, of all people, away."

Eve was about to reply, perhaps make a joke about 'air quotations', when a sudden tremor nearly knocked her from the ledge. Her arms flailed out as she tried to balance herself; Seeking something, anything, to grab onto. She nearly cried out in relief as she felt Anderson firm grip on her shoulder as he pulled her back to safety. The young woman tried to calm her breathing, and for some reason, as shaken from the experience. After a moment to calm herself, she gave the Admiral a nod of gratitude and continued her trek across the ledge. "Thanks," she said, "I owe you one."

The young Commander could literally feel Anderson's frown, and could have sworn he a whispered a soft 'no'. But perhaps that, was just the wind, or the faint cry of an innocent in danger.

Both soldiers seemed to sigh in relief as their feet touched the hard, stable material of a complete floor. Anderson wasted no time in running to a nearby body, and patting down the body. In a flash, he seemed to catch himself, and whispered an apology as he pulled out what remained of the dead's heat sinks. "Grab some ammo over there," he said pointing to another body on the other-side of the room. Without waiting for a reply, he jogged to the end of the room and gazed out the large, burned-out gape in the wall; A place where a window might have been. The young Commander only hesitated for a second before walking over and retrieving what was left of the dead soldiers ammo. She offered her own silent apology to the deceased before reloading her gun and making her way to Anderson.

Upon hearing the Commander's approaching steps, Anderson glanced back to give a curt nod to the young woman before leaping onto, yet another, ledge that ran along the side of the burning building. Shepard did not hesitate to follow suite. The trek only lasted a few minutes, until they came upon the remains of what appeared to be another building. Scrap metal, concrete, and glass remained scattered on that remained of the floor. On a normal day, the Commander would have been a little nervous about walking on top of such a questionable base; Too bad for her, she had not had a normal day in a long time. With quick and light feet, the two soldiers made their way across the remains of the building. They were nearly across when a sudden noise filled Eve's ears.

"Thi-... Admiral An-... Fire...", it said in a fumble of words and static.

A quick glance at Anderson confirmed that he had heard it as well. Reaching up to activate his own comm, the Admiral said, "This is Admiral Anderson. Repeat. This is Admiral Anderson. Shepard and I are inbound on a cruiser in the north bay. Keep your comms open until, and listen for our signal."

The reply he received did not sit well with the Commander.

"Ander-... We ca-... oh GOD!"

A sudden explosion caught the two soldiers off guard as it shook the floor of which they stood upon. The Commander only had enough time to see the destruction of a nearby cruiser before she, and Anderson, were sent sliding down the collapsing building. Luckily, the drop was gradual, and with a soft grunt, both Shepard and Anderson landed safely on the ground below. Eve looked up to the sky to see the remains of the destroyed cruiser fall into the bay area; No escape pods could be seen leaving the fiery carcass.

The soft sound of voices drew the young woman's attention toward the bay. Survivors? It was almost too much to hope for. She didn't wait for Anderson's order's as she jogged toward the ledge and jumped. Luckily for her, it was only a short fall, to which, she landed gracefully. Anderson's grunt signaled his own landing, and the two proceeded onward. Eve's earlier suspicions were confirmed when Anderson said, "Friendlies", as they came upon a small group a soldiers. "Perhaps they are from the crashed cruiser..." thought Eve to herself.

Anderson quickly knelt down next to one of the soldier's while the Commander stood guard; Her gaze glancing around the area in search of enemies. A loud groan brought her attention back to the soldiers, and she nearly gasped when she saw that one of them had both his legs trapped under a metal support beam. Anderson shook his head forlornly and locked eyes with one of the men. "How bad is it?", he said.

"Not as bad as it looks", replied the soldier optimistically though his eyes were filled with a sad look. "That is, if we can get this thing off of him. If we don't..." he trailed off has he looked at his unconcious brother-in-arms; His face pulled into a deep frown. "I won't let those damned husks get him."

Anderson only nodded once before he replied, "Do you have a radio son? We need to get into contact with the Normandy and signal for pickup. With luck, we can get you and your men out of here as well."

The soldier thought for a moment, and was about to reply when his companion shouted, "Holy shit! More of those things! Take cover!"

A loud screeching sound filled the air, causing Eve to bolt for cover nearby the group. Crouching low, she readied her weapon and took a deep breath. Bolting upward, she raised herself to a combat position and aimed her gun to lock onto what appeared to be... She had no clue. At first glance, they appeared to be husks, but they were quite different as well. They were slightly larger in size, with four glowing eyes, and wide mouths. For some strange reason, they reminded her of Batarians.

"... Oh God..." she thought as the idea entered her mind.

What was even more troubling, was that the approaching group seemed to halt as a husk corpse. The Commander's blood ran icy cold as she saw the abominations tear into the synthetic beings flesh and shove if quickly into their awaiting maws. Their feast did not last long however, and the turned to once again face the small group of soldiers. They all gave another ear piercing screech before charging.

Time seemed to slow down as the Commander fired her weapon. It was like fighting the geth all over again, or space mercenaries, or the Collectors all over again. In her mind, there was no distinction between the enemies. A shot to the head could disable shields, or them if one was lucky. A biotic slam could permanently cripple them , while a biotic throw would send them flying through the air. Grenades, though powerful, were saved for clusters, as to minimize their use, though concussion shots were easy to replace them on the tougher enemies. Or if one was feeling creative, a quick field overload on their shields, followed by a singularity has near the same affect, if of course, finalized by a warp.

In those few moments, Eve's tactical prowess seemed to take hold of her very body. In her years with the Alliance Navy, as a Specter, as a Cerberus 'operative', she had met some of the most gifted people in the galaxy; Each having an art at killing others in the most efficient way possible. In the eyes of others, such knowledge could have been seen as strange, if not heretical in morality. And yet, in such times, when the chances of one living and dying depended upon whether they used an assault rifle or a pistol, such knowledge would be highly beneficial. Deep down, the Commander knew that her tactics did not come from simply reading a book, but rather, through working with so many varying people. All of which fought by her side to the end, risking their lives for the common goal of keeping the galaxy safe... Or something along those lines. And the Commander was not going to let their teachings go out the airlock before she could thank them properly. All the more reason to get the hell out of there.

Once the new husks were defeated, Eve turned to Anderson, who then motioned for the Commander to take hold of one side of the beam. Anderson grabbed the other, and nodded toward the soldier he had been talking to earlier; A signal to be prepared. With a grunt the Commander and Admiral lifted the beam up enough, so that the remaining soldiers could pull their injured comrade out from under the beam. When he was clear, Eve and Anderson did not hesitate to drop the heavy metal. It groaned loudly as it failed to catch the ledge and fell into the water, creating a bridge-like structure to the sunken cruiser. "Well at least we don't have to swim now", thought Shepard.

"We did have a radio sir," came a voice from behind; The soldier that Anderson had spoken to. "When we first crashed, our comms-officer had it, but upon retreat, he was killed. We've tried several times to retrieve it, but those damn husks just keep coming..." He trailed off as if ashamed.

Eve, no longer able to keep silent anymore, quickly stepped forward and said, "You did what was best for your men. Do not be ashamed of saving their lives. Be happy that you're alive to get up and fight again."

The soldier gave the Commander a blank stare, before nodding; his eyes however, shined with a new-found resolve. Giving Shepard a quick, but proper salute, he turned to attend his unconscious friend.

"Come on," said Anderson as he approached the newly created bridge, "With luck, that radio is still on the cruiser."

Readying their weapons, the two companions made their way across their makeshift bridge and onto the remains of the Alliance ship. As they rounded a corner, the familiar sound screech could be heard, and the Commander had ducked just in time to dodge the husk's blasts.

"It's like there's no end to them!" shouted Anderson as he opened fire on the cannibalistic husks. Eve was quick to take action as well, as did not hesitate to fire upon the approaching creatures. Her brow dripped with sweat, her arms shook, and her eyes watered from the smoke that filled the air. She tried to recall a time that she had felt like this in battle, only to find that the only memory she held was that of Mindoir; When the slavers attacked. She would have guessed, that she had been conditioned the ignore shut functions of the body in the heat of battle, and her time in confinement simply led for to become more sensitive to the stresses of battle once more... Or perhaps, it was only affecting her now, because her own world was burning.

With the last of the husks slain, the two companions dashed towards the only opening the drowned ship had to offer. The smell of burnt flesh wafted up the Commander's nose, and her eyes fell upon what little remained of the those who tried to escape their fiery death. She shivered the thought of those trapped inside; Either burned alive or drowned in the bays now tainted waters.

"Shepard", called Anderson from afar, "Over here."

Jogging over, Shepard watched as the Admiral tried to pull a standard emergency radio from the arms of one of the corpses. Her eyes widened, and she nearly hacked when she say that its lower section appeared to be torn apart. She could only wish that the poor man had died a quick death before those cannibals had gotten to him. A familiar bullet wound in his skull quelled Shepard's fears, but did little to ease her heart.

Anderson heaved the device once more, and managed to dislodge it from the deceased soldiers frozen arms. Shuffling away from the dead man, the Admiral knelt upon the ground, opened the radio, and turned it one. Its blue screen came to life in an instant, but seemed to flicker as though damaged. Perhaps though it was the interference of the Reaper's jamming signal. Tapping a few buttons, Anderson began his work of finding a free and clear frequency to contact the Normandy.

"Normandy," he said into the recorder, "This is Admiral Anderson. I am with Commander Shepard in the vicinity of the northern bay. We have three soldiers, along with ourselves in need of immediate pick up. Does anyone copy?" The comm fell silent once more, and Anderson released a tired sigh. Looking to Shepard, he ordered, "Scavenge the area for anything we can use. If we are lucky, I can at least get a partial signal to the Normandy and let them know we are here."

Glancing around to ensure no enemies snuck up upon them, Eve noticed the familiar shape of a standard assault rifle. As she made her way over, she could have sworn she was being watched, but simply brushed it off as nerves. In a few quick strides, she came to stand at the rifle, and bent down to pick it up. Like the pistol, the rifle felt familiar in her hands, and she had little trouble handling it.

Turning back to the frustrated Anderson, Eve approached him and and was greeted by static upon the radio.

"Normandy," the Admiral said again, "This is Admiral Anderson hailing for pick-up. Does anyone copy?"

The only reply he received was even more static.

"Dammit!" he yelled as he slammed his fist upon the ground. "Even with our emergency broadcasts, we cannot hail the Normandy from here. Not with that damn Reaper jamming signal."

Shepard remained silent for a moment, thinking of a 'Plan B'. In her experience, the plans just seemed to make themselves through the input of her crew. But they were not there in that moment; The time she needed them once more. For now, all she could do was remain calm and think. And then it hit her.

"Maybe they can't get to us," she began, "But we might be able to get to them.

"What?" said Anderson.

"Sir, with that jamming signal blocking communications, there may be no way of contacting them. Our best chance is to find a drop shuttle, and then find the Normandy." replied Eve; As if trying to convince herself of her own plan.

"Shepard, you've seen what these things have done to our cruisers. What makes you think we'd have better luck in something not even a fraction of the size?"

"That's the thing about luck sir: We don't know."

The two fell into silence as Anderson thought it over. But it only lasted for a moment.

"Alright", he said, "We'll do it your way Commander."

Raising himself to stand, Anderson readied his own pistol, and prepared for, what might be, a long trek to the nearest hub station. But before either of them could take another step, that damnable screech filled the air as they were set upon by another horde of husks.

"Damn!" yelled Anderson as he ran for cover, "There is just no end to these things!"

Eve did not bother to answer her superior as she opened fire upon the abominations. For everyone that, fell two more took its place. Never before had the Commander seen such a force. Perhaps even worse yet, that there would be even more waiting just around the corner. But to stop fighting, would be to die, and Shepard had no intention of walking through the land of the dead again. So she continued to fire her guns, she continued to use her biotics, she continued to use her grenades, and when the enemies got to close, she continued to crack their skulls with her bare hands. But even that, was not enough.

As the Commander bent down to reload her rifle, a husk managed to get past Anderson and grab the unsuspecting woman; Its cold arms only made her think of Death's own cold embrace

"Shepard!" called Anderson as he tried to take aim at the attacking husk; A near fatal mistake on his part. For the invading army had no intention of waiting for their targets to be ready.

Eve's vision began to blur as she struggled to free herself of the choking hold the husk had her in. The abomination seemed to take pleasure in the young soldier's struggles and tightened its grip another degree. It moved its wide maw closer to Shepard's face, and gave a , loud screech of, what could have been, victory.

But no sooner had the sound left its mouth, did it produce another of pure pain as it suddenly released the Commander. Gasping for air and rubbing the soreness away on her neck, she watched as the things head literally explode into a spray of blue chunks from a sniper's bullet. To say the least, it was a very welcome surprise for the Commander. Looking over to where the projectile had come from, the woman saw the small group of soldiers from before, as well as what appeared to be civilians, fire upon the hoard that was making its way toward the Commander and Anderson.

Noticing the the Commander was looking at them, the young man the she had spoken to before yelled, "Get going Commander! We'll hold these bastards off until reinforcements arrive! Go!" He did not wait for the Commander's response as he turned to face the now approaching enemies and began to fire on them.

To say she was grateful, did not seem enough to Shepard as she watched as the most of the husks' attention was turned to the larger group of 'soldiers', but even that did not seem to be enough. She had wished to stay and help fight alongside such fine people, but the look that Anderson given her literally demanded that she make their sacrifice mean something. So with a heavy heart, Shepard gave one last nod their saviors, and followed Anderson; Killing any of the few husks that still had their attention on the two lone figures.

Dodging, ducking, kicking, and punching, the two soldiers made their past the distracted crowed of enemies. As they ran, Anderson noticed what appeared to be a gap in a buildings wall, and motioned for Eve to follow him. Wasting little time, the two squeezed themselves through the small opening, and found themselves in one of the city's clinics. Anderson gave no pause as he began looking for supplies. Dreading that the husks would follow them, Eve looked around to see if there was anything that could be used to block their entrance. Turning around, she noticed the large metal storage cabinet; Perfect and ready to use as a barricade. Working her way over to its side, she began to shove it over into a tilt. Giving a low grunt, she managed to tip it over, and it came down with a large crash in front of the hole. Wiping the sweat away from her brow, the Commander thought that she had perhaps earned a moments rest... That was until she heard the screams.

Her amber eyes closed as she tried to block the sounds out: Gunfire and the screams of terror. And just as soon as they started, they seemed to stop; Silence reigning in the air. She should have known better than to think that the group that had saved them stood a chance at such a large hoard of husks. Part of her wished that she had stayed and fought, but another part, was grateful that she was still alive. She didn't know whether is was out of the prospect that she was alive to stop the Reapers, or that she was afraid to die again. And she had to sacrifice the lives of others for both reasons.

Eve slammed her fist into the metal cabinet once... then a second time, then a third. She couldn't stop. She was so damned angry! After everything she had done to prevent this very thing from happening, few refused to listen to her. After all she had sacrificed to ensure the safety of the galaxy, she was still branded a heretic. After all the pain she had endured time and time again, there were those who were still going to cause her pain by second-guessing her every action.

"Why does the universe have to be so cruel at times?" thought Eve to herself as readied herself to punch the cabinet once more; A dent already forming in it metal side. But a warm, caring hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so. She turned her head to gaze into the eyes of Anderson. In their deep brown depths, she saw the same emotions that she had been feeling. They had both sacrificed, they had both endured, and to ensure the safety of every living being in the galaxy, they would gladly do it again.

Pulling herself away from the abused cabinet, the Commander took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and took the medigel pack that Anderson was offering her. Looking down at her bleeding hand, the young woman reprimanded herself silently for her uncontrolled bout of anger.

She heard Anderson give a very light chuckle, and turned to look at him in confusion.

"You know," he began with a soft smile, "If anyone else had done that, their hand would have been broken." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Looks like Cerberus did more than just bring you back."

Eve only nodded once, and began to apply the cool medigel to her damaged hand. She watched in silence as the skin began to stitch slowly back together before she replied, "I'm grateful for the second chance at living, but I wonder if it was worth it with so many strings attached."

Anderson gave no reply, how could he? He, nor anyone that history had heard of, had ever died and come back. The universe did not work like that, it never would. The living were to die, and the dead were to stay dead. That cycle is what gave the Commander hope, that when the Reapers have been defeated, they would be gone forever; Faded into history as a bad memory, and perhaps forgotten one day.

"It was worth it Shepard," said Anderson as he turned away from the silent Commander, "Never doubt that."

And for the first time that Eve was brought back, she didn't; At least for that one fraction of time.

After her hand was partially healed to working condition, and scavenging for anything that could be used, the Commander made her way over the Anderson, to find him looking at, what Eve could guess, was a city map... Or at least a map of the bayside area. The words 'You are here' indicated the clinics location, and the woman's eyes trailed across the map in search of a transit port.

"Here", said Anderson as he pointed to one, "This one is the closet one from the looks of it. With luck there may be a way to get us off world. But those damned husks are everywhere. We need a better way of get to the transit without going straight into the enemy."

His brow creased in concentration as he tried to formulate a plan. His calloused hand reached up to rub whatever headache was beginning to form, away from his temples. He was certainly a man of tactics, but they mostly entailed the best way to defeat an enemy, not dodge them. It felt wrong for him to be running through shadows in such a way. Finally his eyes lit up, and he pointed to a subway station only two blocks away. "Here," he said as he tapped his finger upon the image, "If we can't go through the bastards, we'll just have to go under them. Let's find us a way out of here."

Taking one more glance around the room for supplies, the two made their way to the back of the room, where they found the clinic's main emergency exit. Pulling his pistol out, Anderson gave a quick glance to Shepard, before turning back to the task at hand. With much effort, he began to push slowly upon the doors red colored handle; Hoping that the alarm would not be set to go off upon the doors movement. As the door creaked loudly upon, the two companions held their breath. In all her years of combat, Eve never thought she would be scared of a simple door.

Finally, after a few tense moments of pushing, Anderson managed to open the door enough for Eve to squeeze through. Giving Anderson a grateful nod, the younger soldier slipped her way through the narrow opening; Her pistol ready in her hand. Looking at nearly all corners, openings, and possible covers in the alleyway. Motioning for the Admiral that the the area was clear, the Commander began to walk down the alley toward the street. She heard the grunt that Anderson released as he squeezed himself through the door, and rose to stand.

And that's when the emergency alarm went off.

And over that blaring sound, was that of the screeching husks that rounded the corner and were dashing toward their new targets.

"Damn it!" said Anderson as he began to fire.

Eve did not bother to answer as she saw another group of husks enter the alley through one of the destroyed buildings. Taking a quick glance behind her, she saw that the way was clear, at least for now. Her glance did not go unnoticed by Anderson, who then yelled, "Keep firing, but work your way back. The station isn't that far."

The Commander did not need to be told twice as she continued firing upon the endless mass of husks. They came from the buildings, the other alley ways, the roofs, everywhere. But she did not stop firing. And when one husks got too close for comfort, she sent it flying, along with three others with a biotic throw. But still, the abominations kept coming, and the two lone soldiers were running out of clips.

"Watch your step," called Anderson over the gunfire as he pulled himself over a collapsed pillar. He covered Shepard as she pulled herself over as well, and together, the two continued making their way as quickly as they could to the station. "At this rate," thought Eve to herself, "We could have just gone through the main streets.

Suddenly, Anderson called out, "There! That's the station. We can make it if we run!" And with that, the two ceased their firing, and made a dash for the station's main entrance. Safety, it was so close that Eve could nearly feel it. Her body screamed at her to stop, to rest, but her spirit told her to keep going. To stop was to die. She had to keep going. She had to get to the Normandy. She had to stop the Reapers. She had to see Garrus again. And she knew that as long as she and Anderson kept moving, that they would reach their goal.

Or at least that was what she thought until she heard a single shot of a weapon, and watched as Anderson collapse. Glancing over to her right, Shepard saw that the Reaper's husk had been waiting for them farther down the street and were quickly making their way towards the Commander and her companion. Sprinting over to the now injured man, Shepard knelt down, grabbed one of Anderson's arms, and pulled it over her shoulder so that her own body was between the enemy and the man. The all the strength she could muster, Eve began to drag the Admiral across the street. All the while, the husks were firing upon them; There 'bullets' beat upon her shields in a raining force, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before they failed. But they were too close to salvation to stop.

To stop was to die. To stop was to die. To stop was to die.

A searing pain ripped through Eve's leg, and she glanced down to see that her shields had failed to deflect a stray bullet. Raising her gun with her injured arm, the Commander fired at the husks, hoping to at least break their formation. Though they appeared to slow down, the abominations just kept coming. A screech from behind confirmed that the forces that they had lost in the alley had found their way to the entrance of alley, and did not hesitate to fire upon the retreating woman.

Too bad for them, that a passing Kodiak ship was in the area, and began to open fire upon the groups. At this point, Eve wondered if it was Fate, or just dumb luck that ensured her survival. Without taking a backwards glance to the scene of battle behind her, Shepard made her way down the stairs; Supporting the Admiral with every step. A sudden explosion from behind caused her to look back, and watch as the Kodiak crashed into the street in a small inferno, and the husks wasted little time in waiting to look for 'survivors'. Quickly making her way through the stations doors, Eve set the Admiral down against the wall and pulled off the doors control panel. With shaking fingers, and only her omni-tool to guide her way, Shepard began looking for the doors emergency lockdown switch. Her amber eyes kept glancing toward the group of husks above the stairs, hoping that they would not bother to turn around.

But as luck would have it they did.

And as luck would have it once again, the doors cut whatever shrieks they had in the chests off, as the metal doors purged the Commander and Admiral into darkness.

Only their breathing seemed to fill the quiet room.

Quiet. That was something that Eve felt she hadn't heard in an era. Or perhaps it was the lack of hearing. Whichever the case it may have been, the young soldier was grateful that she had a moment of near silence.

That was until she heard Anderson give a pained groan.

Cursing her distracted mind, Shepard quickly made her way over to the man, and knelt down to look at the damage. A large wound scorched itself into the Admiral's side. Though it did not bleed profusely, it did give Eve a clear idea that it was very painful, and most likely lethal if not take care of.

"That bad huh?" said Anderson when he noticed Eve's frown. The Commander was startled for a moment, not expecting to see Anderson conscious. But she quickly recovered, and looked up into the Admiral's eyes.

"I should have made sure the coast was clear sir", she said softly.

"For what?" asked Anderson with a soft chuckle, "As I recall we were **both** running for our lives." He chuckled once more, a little louder, only double-over in pain. Eve grasped the man's shoulders and set him up right once more on the wall. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a small package of omni-gel. Their final packet. She tried not to flinch as her entire leg burned from its own wound. With shaking hands, she ripped open the packet and moved the Admiral's shirt aside to apply it to his own wound.

"Mine can wait," she thought to herself.

As she was about to place the healing gel upon his flesh, the Admiral stopped her with a firm grasp on her wrist.

"Your leg."

Damn.

Meeting the Admiral's eyes with her amber ones, Eve said, "It can wait for now."

Anderson shook his head and lightly pushed Shepard's hand away from him. "No," he said, "It can't Shepard. If I cant get out of here, then it has to be you. You have to get yourself to the transit and get off Earth."

"Don't say that," said Eve sternly as she moved her arm back into place, "We are both getting out of here."

"You can't say that Shepard. You don't know that."

"But you believe I can unite the entire galaxy and stop the Reapers."

Anderson fell silent at that; Something the Commander was not used to. With a sigh of frustration, the Commander applied what little omni-gel that remained onto the Admiral's injured side. He hissed in pain as the gel began to stitch his wound together. Locking eyes with the Commander once more, Anderson said, "They just don't make 'em like you anymore Shepard."

Eve could only offer a strained smile as she forced herself to stand; Her own leg nearly screaming in agony at its wound. But she did not show the pain. She would bury it away for another time, another place, another life. Offering a hand to the partially healed Admiral, Shepard pulled the older soldier up so that he would stand as well. He gave another soft groan of pain, but other than the remains of the still-healing wound, appeared to be fine.

Offering only a nod of gratitude to Commander, the Admiral made his was over to the subways tram-ledge and peered into the darkness. All that was visible from their vantage point was the dim flashing of emergency lights.

"Well", he began after a moments of silence, "With the subtrans down, it looks like we are going to have to do a little more walking." Suddenly a distant screech filled the air; Echoing along the subways walls. At first, Shepard assumed that it may have been from one of the husks the they fought before, but her gut, along with Anderson's own look of dread told her otherwise. Whatever it was, it was something they did not wish mess with.

Pulling out his pistol, the Admiral looked at the ammo counter, and saw that it had reached a zero. His tense gaze told Shepard to do the same thing. Pulling out her pistol first, she saw that she too, was out of ammo. Her rifle was no better.

"Damn," Shepard heard Anderson whisper as they both climbed down from the ledge; Their eyes straining to peer into the darkness, hoping to at least see the location of whatever was waiting for them.

With a sigh of frustration, Anderson began to make his way forward, with only his omni-tool, and the emergency lights to guide him. Eve was quick to follow, not wanting the recovering Admiral to remain alone in the dark. And perhaps, she was still afraid of the dark.

For what seemed like hours the two tried to find their way through the dimly lit tunnel. Never before had Shepard been so afraid of the dark; Not since she was a child on Mindoir. Ever shadow seemed to jump out at her, every noise seemed to be too loud, and the air seemed too thick to breathe. But she, along with her companion continued forward, as they had no other choice.

After a few moments of walking in silence, Eve began to get the feeling she was being watched. Glancing around, she saw no signs of any enemies... Come to think of it, there were no signs of any battle down here. At first, she thought that perhaps the Reapers forces had not bothered with the subways, but again, the doors were wide open. Why not look for humans in here?

Out of the corner of her eye, Eve saw something one the wall. A shiny, well polished plating, that reflected the surrounding area. But it wasn't the plating itself that caught her attention, but what she saw in the plating. In it reflective face she saw herself, the opposite wall, the floor, and something else. Something that made her blood run cold. There standing only a few feet behind her was... something. She could see its outline: Tall, thin, with long arms and matching large claw-like hands. How long had that thing been following them?

As she began to turn to look behind her, Anderson's nearly desperate whisper stopped her.

"Don't," he said after hearing the Commander's footsteps cease, "Whatever you do, don't turn around."

Eve straightened herself so that she faced fully forward once again. She saw that Anderson had not even bothered to turn around has he spoke again. "That thing has been following us since we first entered here. Just keep walking, and don't look directly at it", he said as he began to move forward once again.

Casting one last glance at the metal plating on the wall, Eve felt her stomach drop as the unknown creature seemed to be... smiling: Its lips pulled back to reveal several rows of razor sharp teeth. Pulling her gaze away from the mirror, Eve continued her own trek after the Admiral. "Don't look back," she said to herself, "Just don't look back."

To say the walk was nerve-racking, would be quite a bit of an understatement. Its one thing to go walking through the dark, its another to go walking through the dark with possible enemies waiting for you, and its a completely different thing to be walking in the dark, with no ammo, with said possible enemies stalking you from only a few feet away.

For every step that Eve took, it felt like that thing was getting closer. She wanted to run, or at least make an attempt to fight, but that must have been what the strange creature was waiting for. It had to have been. Why wait to attack two defenseless humans?

But she continued to heed Anderson's warning. "Just don't look back," she continued to repeat in her head, "Just don-" Shepard nearly stopped in her tracks as she looked up to another mirroring plate to find that their stalker was gone. She did in fact stop in her tract, when she heard a shuffling noise above her head.

Oh shit.

As calmly as she could manage, Eve whispered Anderson's name once, then twice, each time the shuffling grew louder. Finally noticing the panic in the Commander's voice, the Admiral stopped and took a cautious glance back. To say he was horrified, would also be a bit of an understatement.

"Shepard," he yelled loudly, "Run!"

The Commander didn't need to be told twice as she bolted out from whatever was above her. She could literally feel the tips of its claws in her copper hair as she made her get-away. The creature let out an enraged screech as it dropped down heavily onto the tunnel floor, and began to chase its prey down.

"Just don't look back," Eve thought as she ran alongside Anderson, "Just don't look back."

All the while, Eve's injure leg burned at the constant strain that was placed upon it. But she didn't stop. Not now, nor ever would she stop.

"There!" called Anderson as another subtran station port came into view, "That's the exit!" Sprinting even faster than the Commander would have given him credit for, Anderson quickly made his way over to the ledge's ladder and climbed up, with Shepard following close behind... Along with there stalker. Sprinting to the exit area, Anderson and Shepard stopped to pull the security gates closed; An effort to slow the creature down. Without a second glance, the two made their way up the stairs, and to the entrance.

Only to find the doors sealed such.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" screamed Eve in her head. Whatever profanity that Anderson was bout to say was cut short, as the creature of the darkness gave an angered screech, and the sound of straining metal echoed off the walls.

But Eve could here something else as well: Voices. Human voices. On the other side of the door. A quick glance at Anderson confirmed that he heard it too.

"This is Admiral Anderson and Commander Shepard! Can anyone hear us out there?" he said in a voice mixed with hope and anxiety.

The sound of straining metal once again filled the air, and Shepard could have sworn she heard the sound of falling rocks. It would not be long before that thing broke through.

Anderson began to bang on the doors with a heavy fist. "Hello?!" he called out in frustration, "This is Admiral Anderson, and I order you to open this door now! Damn it! Does anyone here us out there?!"

Suddenly the sound of crashing metal was heard, along with a victorious screech. The thing had broken through. This was it.

Or it would have been if the doors hadn't suddenly opened. Of course, as soon as it did, both Shepard and Anderson had to dive for the floor as an active combat turret aimed itself right at them. But even then, they may have been lucky, as their stalker was right behind them open their escape, and the turret was glad to take care of it.

In a glorious blaze of glory, the turret rapidly fired upon the new abomination, who in turn, gave a screech of pain, and quickly retreated back into the darkness from whence it came. Meanwhile, on the ground of the transit station, both Shepard and Anderson continued to stare at the ground in silence.

"... You know," thought Eve to herself, "I think I done with all types of surprises for now on. In fact, I'm going to tell my crew I don't even want a surprise birthday party. I swear to God if they throw me one, I throw each and everyone of them out the air lock."

A firm hand on her shoulder brought the Commander out of her 'pouting', and she turned her head to look at Anderson. With a face that looked like he was fighting a smile, he gave Shepard a firm pat on the back pushed himself up to stand.

Eve followed suite as well, but found that as she stood, her injured leg buckled, and she would have fallen to the floor if Anderson had not caught her.

He cursed softly under his breathe, and ordered on of the soldiers to bring the Commander medi-gel. Working there way over to a bench, Anderson set the injured woman down, and step back to allow the medic to attend Shepard's leg. The young woman nearly side with relief as the cool gel was lathered on her irritated leg, and she soon began to feel the skin stitching back together. After her leg was healed to moderate condition, the Commander made her way over to where the Admiral had made his way off to, but not before taking a good look around the camp.

It appeared to be a simple military base camp with the amount of soldiers within the area, but a closer look revealed that there were refugees as well. Many looked scared, others angry. There were even those that simply stared off into space, as if lost in a different world.

With every refugee she past, Eve felt the weight of her burden increase. So many depended on her at this point, so much was at stake. The existence of every man, woman, and child depended upon the actions of her alone. She could not risk to let them down.

Making her way over to the landed Kodiaks, Eve found Anderson and, who the Commander could guess was the Commanding officer of the 'camp', arguing loudly.

"I can't do that Admiral!" said the Corporal in a tone that demanded obedience. Too bad he had yet to learn about Anderson.

"There is no other option Corporal!", replied Anderson in an even more demanding voice. But the Corporal would not back down yet.

"If the Reapers see these Kodiaks take we are done for. You want me to risk the lives of my men, and these survivors so that this traitor can save her own ass?!" shot the other man back as he gave a heated glance toward the Commander.

Frowning slightly, Shepard replied, "And as you recall Corporal, I turned myself into the authorities after I stopped the Collectors."

Rolling his eyes, the Corporal then said, "A traitor is still a traitor. Your just lucky you have so many friends in high places, or we would have hung your ass by now."

But before Eve could reply, Anderson beat her to the punch. "I had enough out of you!" he nearly bellowed, "You will remember the chain of command. You will show respect to your superiors. And you will get us the gad-damned radio to contact the Normandy, or so help me, I will hang you!"

The Corporal seemed to pale at these words, but none-the-less saluted the Admiral, as well as the Commander, and made his way quickly over to the Communications station.

Raising one eyebrow, Shepard looked back at Anderson, crossed her arms and said, "That wasn't really necessary sir."

"Yes it was," replied Anderson as he walked away, "Its what we need at this point. The world is ending Shepard, and the only way we are going to get through this is if we continue to have some form of stability and familiarity. If the refugees see soldiers, the people that are supposed to be protecting, rebelling against one another... Well we might as well just give up." He then paused for a moment, before softly adding, "I you know as well as I do that you are not a traitor." He didn't even wait for the Commander's response as he walked away; Leaving the Commander alone to her own thoughts... Well at least for a moment.

Suddenly, she felt the touch of a small hand on her own, and she glanced down to find a child holding her hand. It was the boy from the vents.

Kneeling down so she was level with him, she softly said, "I was worried about you. You ran off when I tried to help you."

The boy looked away, his gaze upon the ground. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I was scared, and I thought that it would be safer if I just hid."

Tilting her head to the side so that she could see the boys watering eyes, the Commander replied, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with being scared." At these words the boy looked up to lock eyes with the young woman once more. "I was scared when I couldn't find you," she then continued, "I was scared when I was fighting those husks. I was scared of walking in that dark tunnel. Heck, I'm even scared right now." To this, the boy's eyes grew large and he replied, "But your the Shepard! You're not scared of anything!"

Eve smiled at this, recalling her own time as a youth; Thinking that her heroes were not afraid of anything. The first time she had ever thought otherwise, was when she was six years old, and wondered off into the woods that surrounded her colony's main establishment. She had gotten lost, and she was scared, but she always had it in her head that her father would come to save her. And he did, but it wasn't the way the younger Eve had imagined it. Her father had yelled at her, nearly screamed, shaking her and asking her over and over why she had run off. And then, he cried, and pulled her into his famous bear head. He cried and cried, telling Eve never to run off like that again. It was only later that she realized that his anger and sorrow, came from fear; The fear of losing his child. The same fear that Eve felt when she thought she would have lost this child, and that she might lose Earth.

"Well," she said after a moments pause, "Of course I get scared of things. But you know what? It's okay to be afraid. What matters most is that you face your fears when the time comes. Don't hold back to do what you think is right, okay?"

The young boy gave her a sad smile, but nodded none-the-less.

A familiar droning noise sounded through the air, but unlike before, it was much louder. Turning ever-so slowly around, the Commander's gaze fell upon the large body of a ground Reaper. She felt the boy squeeze her hand in fear, and in return, she squeezed his back in consolation. It appeared that it didn't matter if they did anything to draw the invading forces attention, for they clearly had every intention of searching every building, every house, every hold, to harvest all humans. There was just no stopping them from this point. Not yet.

"Shepard!" called Anderson as he dashed over with a new assault rifle, "We managed to get a partial signal to the Normandy. They might have heard us, but you need to go. Now!"

"What?" Shepard nearly yelled as she took a step toward the Admiral.

Anderson simply shook his head and replied, "I know what you are going to say, but there is no time to argue." He glanced back as another tremor shook the ground. The Reaper had spotted them, and was slowly making its way toward the transit port. It single 'eye' began to glow red, and it fired it weapon along the outskirts of the camp. The refugees began to scream in terror, and scattered, while the soldiers readied their own weapons to open fire on the approaching giant. Their efforts didn't even slow the thing down.

"I need you to get to the Citadel and get the Council to help us. Otherwise we may as well kiss our asses goodbye." A sudden explosion from behind nearly toppled the three individuals over, and Eve caught a glance of a large group of husks heading their way.

"Shepard," said Anderson softly as he locked eyes with the young woman, "We can't do this alone. You know that."

Eve remained silent for a moment; Oblivious to the destruction that was quickly approaching them. She always knew that the galaxy would need to stand together to defeat the Reapers. She had told the Council, and the Alliance that time, and time again. Now, it was time to live up to the word. She just didn't think it would come to this. She didn't think she would abandon Earth like this.

"I'll be back for you," she finally said.

Anderson smiled softly, and reached into his pocket to pull out a pair of dog-tags: Shepard's dog-tags. With warm, calloused hands, he placed them within Eve's own, and said, "I don't doubt it, Commander." And with that he turned, and made his way toward to approaching forces; His rifle raised up, and his voice yelling orders to all soldiers that could here him.

Casting one last look to the Admiral, the newly titled Commander whispered a wish of good luck, before tightening her grip on the child's hand, and running for the nearest Kodiak. This was the race to the finish. She felt the boy stumble in an effort to keep up with her; His hoarse panting echoing in the woman's ears. The sound of the husks' discharging weapons rang throughout the air, but they too, were soon drowned out by the droning of the colossal Reapers. Shepard's steps side not falter as bullets flew past her head, or grazed her shields. She was just too damned close.

And then the boy stumbled, but even that did little to stop Eve. With strong arms, she scooped the child up against her chest, and continued to run. She ran, and she ran, and she ran until she could was safely inside the Kodiak's passenger chamber. But even then, that wasn't enough for her. She locked eyes with the entering pilot and nearly screamed for him to go. The pilot, in turn, did not need to be told twice, as he made his way into his seat and started the Kodiak. With a violent jolt, they took off. A quick look out the window confirmed that other Kodiaks had begun to take off, only to be shot down by the Reaper's canon. The Kodiak swayed hazardously as it weaved to dodge the laser, and began to pick up speed in an effort to escape. But it seemed that it wasn't enough, as the Kodiak lurched to the side from a hit.

"Mayday, mayday," called the pilot on the radio, "Normandy do you copy? I have Commander Shepard, and we are going down. Do you copy?"

The only thing that answered him was static.

Another look out the window showed that the Reaper had locked onto their slowly dissenting Kodiak; Its weapon charged once again to take fire.

"My God," whispered Shepard as she pulled the boy closer into her embrace. Three... Two... One...

"The cavalry as arrived!"

God Dammit Joker.

In a blaze of glory, the Normandy seemed to fly out of nowhere, firing it main weapons as it fly toward the Commander's vessel; Its white and blue metal paint literally glowing in the sun, and it name proudly displayed for all to see. Though the Normandy's weapons did little damage to the Reaper, it did gave the Kodiaks pilot enough time to maneuver toward the Normandy. But even then, it would be close, as they were still dissenting quickly towards the bay's waters.

"Joker!" called Shepard over the radio, hoping he had heard.

And indeed he did, as the Normandy's pilot quickly rerouted to be flying straight at the Kodiak; It bay doors wide open.

"Brace for impact," yelled the pilot as he tried to slow down the vehicle with a failing thruster. Eve did not need to be told twice, as she pushed herself further against the Kodiak's walls and attempted to shield the child in her arms.

"If I die like this," thought Shepard, "I'm going to kill Joker."

A nearly unbearable screeching noise filled the small compartment as the Kodiak's bottom slid against the Normandy's bay floor; Sparks flying everywhere as the smaller vehicle attempted to stop. Eve nearly cried when the Kodiak gave one final jolt, and came to a rest. Only the sound of the bays closing doors could be heard over Eve's gasping. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But all the young soldier did was sit there in silence, in the dark, with the boy still held tightly in her arms.

The boy.

"Hey", she said as she glanced down at the child, "are you okay."

The boy's eyes were closed, as if sleeping, his mouth was slightly upon, and he felt a little colder than he should have. And that was when Eve felt something wet on her hand. Lifting her arm out from underneath the boy's body, she brought her flesh up into her vision to see is covered in blood... But it was not her own.

Looking down at the boy once more, Shepard felt a lump form in her throat. She knew that in warfare, people would die. That no matter what one did, people would still be lost. But to hold one of them, a child none-the-less, in her arms as he died... That was something different. She wanted to cry, but she just didn't have the strength anymore. Instead, she lifted her hand once more, touching the child's cold, lifeless cheek; A simple goodbye for a child she could not save. She then gently set the boy's body upon the Kodiak's floor. With a rigid back, she rose to stand, and looked down at the boy once more. Closing her eyes and looking away she whispered, "I'm sorry" before activating the Kodiak's doors.

She was greeted by the large form of Vega.

"Commander. Are you okay? What happened? Where's the Admiral?" he berated out.

The Commander offered no answers, as she had none to give. Not then anyway.

Pushing her way past the large man, the Commander made her way over to the bay's communications system. She heard James utter a thousand curses; A sign that he had seen the child's body.

The elevator doors then opened, and Ashley Williams stepped out, along with three other soldiers. Shepard did not have to tell the soldiers to assist the Kodiak potentially injured pilot nor take care of the child's body as they quickly made their way past her, and towards the damaged vehicle.

Eve cast a quick glance at Ashley, who looked like she had just as many questions, if not more, for the Commander. But upon seeing the other woman's face, Ashley wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead, she opted to offer the Commander a soft smile, perhaps to show that she was happy to see the other woman alive and well.

Unfortunately for Eve, it seemed that Vega had yet to catch onto the Commander's mood.

"Commander," he ground out as he came to stand behind Shepard, "What the hell is going on?"

Eve only gave him a single glance before she turned to face the computer. "We're leaving," she said sourly as she activated the Communications system. She had to contact Hackett and let him know about the situation.

The Commander heard Vega sputter in anger for a moment, but whatever he was about to say, was quickly cut short by Ashley's own question. "Leave Earth"" she said in disbelief, "Why?"

"Anderson needs us to go to the Citadel to appeal to the Council for help," answered Eve in a eerily calm voice. At this point, she was having trouble in believing that the Council would help them. Hell, she doubted that humanity would want to help any of the other races if they were in a different position.

"Bullshit!" yelled Vega as he took several steps forward, "Those bastards didn't listen to us before, what makes you think they are going to listen to us now? Chances are they'd let us get butchered first so that they can save their own asses."

Grinding her teeth in frustration, the Commander tried to keep calm as she replied, "I don't like it either. But we don't have a choice. There is no way we are going to beat these things on our own."

The large man growled as he took yet another step forward. Glaring down at the shorter woman he said, "Then drop me off somewhere. There is no way in he-"

"Enough!" yelled Eve as she stood against Vega, "I get! You don't want to abandon Earth. I don't either. But this is the only chance we have now. If you want to leave, that's fine, but we are going to the Citadel. You can catch a ride back to Earth from there." Without waiting for a reply, the Commander then turned back to the computer, ans began the process of hailing Admiral Hackett once more. Her ears perked up when she heard the retreating steps of Vega, and the approaching ones of Ashley.

"Shepard," she began softly, "Are you okay."

Eve remained silent for a moment, remember the boy's body that she had held in her arms. God, he died in her arms. She could only hope that it had been painless.

"No," she said sullenly as she watched the soldiers from before pass by with a filled body bag on a stretcher, "I'm not okay at this point."

Before Ashley could question her further, Joker's voice came to life over the intercom.

"Commander, Admiral Hackett got your hail. Edi's trying to clear up the signal. With luck, we are far enough away from the Reaper's jam for communications to be back up," he said in a voice that was a little too cheery for Shepard's mood.

Eve caught herself. Where had that thought come from? Perhaps it was the stress. Yes, the stress.

The computer's screen then came to life in a flash of light, and the scarred face of Admiral Hackett could be seen through the thin layer of static.

"Shepard," he said in a tired, but strong voice, "good to see you made it... But last I heard you were with Anderson..." He paused, waiting for the Commander to clarify her companion's absence.

"Anderson chose to stay behind," was all Eve offered; What else was she supposed to say?

"... I see," replied the Admiral in a toneless voice.

"If anyone can help the people on Earth, its Anderson sir," said Eve as an offer of some optimism... Even if such a thing would be hard to come by in the time ahead.

The Admiral gave a light chuckle, thought it seemed hollow before he said, "You don't need to convince me Commander. I know fully well what he is capable of." The 'mirth' that he had was quickly washed away as he returned to the task at hand. "But for now, I have a mission of the up-most importance for you," he said in his trade-mark commanding voice; And Admiral through and through.

"Yes sir," replied the Commander, "but Anderson wanted me to go to the Citadel to seek help for Earth."

Hackett shook his head in the negative and replied in turn, "I'm afraid that's going to have to wait for now. We just received word that our base on Mars has gone silent. We had a science team down there trying to decrypt the Archives, in an effort to find a way to fight back the Reapers. About two days ago, we received a message that they may have found something."

That got Eve's attention. "Did they say what?" she asked in a voice that did little to cover her hope.

"No."

Damn.

"As I came to understand, whatever they found was highly encrypted," continued Hackett, "Dr. T'soni assured me that they were in the process of decrypting it. With any luck, she made some progress."

That also got Shepard's attention. "Liara?" she said, "What is she doing on Mars?"

"A few months back, after your... incarceration," Hackett began, "I contacted Dr. T'soni and requested her assistance with the science team in the Archives. As I recall she is brilliant in deciphering Prothean technology. She had agreed, and has been a major influence with the decryption process." He pasued for a moment before adding, "The last transmission why received from her was right before the Reapers hit the Sol system."

The fact that Liara was on Mars when the Reapers hit did not bode will for the Commander. The Asari had been a good friend to Shepard for the past few years, and the Commander had no intention of losing her to the Reapers. Hell, she doubted that Liara would go down without a fight after seeing her in action against the Shadow Broker. Time was certainly of the essence.

"All the more reason to get to Mars then," she said.

Hackett, as if reading the Commander's motivations then added, "Remember Shepard, that data could be the key to stopping the Reapers. Everything, and everyone, else is expendable."

That did not set well with Shepard, and she knew that even the Admiral was having difficulty in believing his won words.

"I will get the data sir," said Eve, "But I am not leaving those people behind."

Hackett merely nodded and said, "Your attitude is commendable Commander, if not idealistic," he paused before adding, "But we are at war now, do not forget that."

To these words, Shepard could only nod.

"Good luck Commander," offered the Admiral, "Hackett out."

The room then fell into complete and utter silence for a moment. But only for the one moment.

"Well that was a cheery conversation," said Vega.

Eve simply shook her head and made her way over to the armory section of the bay. Her mission was quite clear.

"Commander," said Ashley as she quickly trailed behind, "do you really think they're could be something to beat the Reapers on Mars?"

Shepard paused at this. Was there truly something that could stop the Reapers on the Red Planet? Or was this simply a waste of time and effort to find something that was never there in the first place? But then again, when did anyone ever actually know what they were looking for when trying to stop a nearly unbeatable enemy?

"I don't know Williams," Eve finally answered as she grabbed her combat helmet, "But for now, its the only lead we got." If there was no rest for the wicked, then there was certainly no rest for the just either.

Note: Please rate, review, or burn. As you can see I updated this chapter since I didn't want to break up parts of the story, so sorry if it seems really long. As you can see I changed dialog, appearances (Ashley), and added a loooooooot of crap to the Earth escape mission because it seemed half-assed in the game. Not to say my version it better, but the game version definitely lacked what the other two games had: Initial Presentation. I mean, the Reapers have arrived on Earth, and you apparently run a mile and manage to escape. Plus I wanted to add some emotionally driven factors that show Shepard in a light other than the cocky, son-of-a-bitch we know (it the good kind of SOB). And no, before any of you ask the thing in the tunnel is not Slenderman (I know that's what some of you were thinking). I hated the lack of varying types of husks, so I added another one called a Stalker. They will be seen in later chapters. Sorry it took so long to update, but my computer caught a virus and corrupted a loooooooooooooooot of my stuff, so now I have to go through all the chapters I had done and fix them. Hope you guys enjoy.


	3. Chapter 2

Note: Sorry for the late update everyone. I meant to put the rest of this chapter over a week ago, but unfortunately I had a relative pass away, and couldn't find it in me to finish this. Then I got overtime at both my jobs and had not time to finish. And now school started up so... ya... Feeling better now though, and have some free time. Playing Dark Souls is a great way to vent by the way. So, here's the more of chapter 2. By this weekend I should have the entire thing up.

I do not own the Mass Effect franchise.

Special shout outs to Seracan Beta and DraygonRayne64. Thanks for the feedback and ideas guys. You really helped me work things out at certain points.

The Normandy silently stalked toward the red planet; Its course true, and intentions valid. Of course, one would thing, who is such a thing possible from a mere object? It lacks the will, the soul if one will, to make such claims of nearly human drives. And yet, the Normandy is much more than a ship. Rather, it is a symbol, if not a role-model. Upon its creation, it signified the collaboration and the cooperation of two species who had just before been mortal enemies. It is the sign of compromise and sacrifice upon its part in the Battle of the Citadel. It is the embodiment of rebirth, as it was once destroyed, but then rebuilt anew. It is the shield that carries the sign of victory, as it survived the nearly countless battles brought on by the Collectors, time and time again. It is the the reminder of the consequences one must face for their own actions, no matter if they are fair or unjust. And now, upon the threshold of destruction, the Normandy serves something much more: Hope. The hope of another day awaiting those of the galaxy after the dark's passing. The hope, that one will be able to hold their lover once more and never let go. The hope, that the inhabitants of the galaxy will push the Repear's back into the void of darkspace, never to return. Or perhaps, it is simply the hope of change in some manner; The breaking of the maddening cycle that has plagued the galaxy far beyond its time. For the end, always comes, no matter how hard one may try to fight it.

"Commander we're about to reach the Mars Archives. Looks like the Reapers have already gotten to work," said Joker over his shoulder from his pilot seat, "I'm not picking up any emergency transmissions from anywhere on the base. Maybe the scientists are hiding?"

Shepard gazed at the console; Confirming Joker's observation and steeling her will against the very thing that haunted her dreams. The Reaper, much like the one from the Battle of the Citadel, stood massive in seize, much larger than any starship Shepard had ever seen. Such a force could be seen as unstoppable in most individual's eyes, but Shepard had seen ones destruction; A scene that had constantly played in the Commander's head for the past three years. Though it took many ships, along with the loss of many lives, the destruction of that one Reaper proved, they could be defeated, that Harbinger's philosophy of the current races was wrong. But the Battle of the Citadel proved that a head-on tactic was not enough to defeat the entire Reaper force, something new had to be called upon in battle. It was simply a question of what. Yet, the Battle of the Citadel itself did give the Commander hope that perhaps the loss of one Reaper put some amount of doubt into Harbinger's mind, as it had put hope into

"I cannot detect any signs of prominent life-forms," Edi promptly stated, "However, the Reaper appears to be producing its signature jamming signal that is scrambling any communications within a thirty mile radius of the base."

Shepard sighed softly at the prospect of losing even more people to a war they never wanted."Keep trying EDI," she said softly, "If there is anyone alive on that base, we are not leaving them behind."

"Yes Commander." the AI curtly replied.

"How far off is the Reaper itself Joker?" asked Shepard as she turned her attention back to the Normandy's pilot.

"About 15 kliks. Looks like it's keeping its distance," replied Joker.

Shepard's brow furrowed as confusion and a tinge fear colored her mind. "Why?" she asked.

Joker, in turn, simply shrugged before turning back to his console; Attempting to find any information that would be of use. "Beats me," he answered, "Though I would consider yourself lucky. Would hate to face a Reaper on foot... I have a less likely chance of successfully dodging it. You however, can at least run away in terror." His light chuckle filled the cockpit; A blessed relief in a time of death and misery.

Smirking slightly the Commander replied, "Thanks for the vote of confidence Joker."

"Hey, I'm just giving you that little push you need to dodge whatever the giant squid throws at you."

Shepard could only smile and shake her head in amusement before shooting back, "You never know what terror will do for you Joker. Even you might be able to dodge a Reaper if it came your way." Rolling his eyes the pilot said, "If a Reaper was coming at me, I would do the smart thing and simply fly away. There is no way you'll find me outside the Normandy now."

Just as soon as the mirth had filled the room, it seemed to vanish; Sucked out into the abyss of reality. Straightening her back and pulling back her shoulders at attention, Shepard said in her rare, serious tone, "Best to get down there then while we still have a chance." As she turned away from the cockpit, she heard Joker quickly add, "I can drop you right on top of the base from orbit. Cortez will be waiting for you in the shuttle bay to take you down."

Shepard turned back to Joker, her brow raised in question."Cortez?" she asked.

"Your new Hammerhead pilot," replied Joker, "The Alliance felt you could use the best in everything... And they didn't want to have to replace the same vehicle a hundred times."

Shepard once again smiled at her friend and comrade. "Aha. And what are you here for again?" she said with a chuckle.

Flashing his iconic smile, the comedic pilot replied, "To brighten up everyone' day of course. And you know, to fly."

… Touche Joker.

Shepard held tightly to the Hammerhead's inner railing as it once again, thrashed against the climate currents of Mars. A grunt escaped her as her side thudded painfully against the sips metal bulkhead. From the corner of her eye, Shepard saw Cortez cast her a glance; An apology written in his eyes. "Sorry about the rough ride Commander," he began, "Scans indicate that a dust storm is heading this way. The climate currents are giving me a hard time." The Commander grunted again as she was once again knocked against the wall. Shaking her head away of any agitation, Shepard replied, "Don't worry about it Cortez. A few bumps and bruises never did any harm." A small smile graced the pilot's face before he turned back to the console in front of him.

The Commander turned to her companions; Their faces etched with worry and anger. Ashley sat with her gun ready in her lap, her hands clenched tightly upon the weapon. Vega stood across from Shepard, his eyes seeming distant as if recalling some memory from long ago. The Commander new of that feeling well. How she yearned to go back to a time when the fate of the galaxy was not always thrust into her hands, how she was a simple Alliance soldier with the sole goal of protecting all beings from harm. How she wished she could just be with Garrus again and the rest of her friends. But such dreams, such wishes, had long since passed; A fate that Shepard had learned to accept. The galaxy was in great danger, and its fate was upon her shoulders. She wasn't a typical Alliance soldier, and Garrus was far beyond her reach for now. And, as fate had long ago showed her, somethings, were simply meant to happen, and it is only within the individual that it can happen.

"Commander."

James's voice broke Shepard from the recesses of her mind. She looked up at Vega, only to meet his confused, if not worried stare. Straining a small smile, Shepard said, "Sorry James, just lost in thought. Was there something you needed?" James paused as if contemplating what to say, or perhaps was thinking of what could be troubling his Commander. With a moment of hesitation, the Alliance soldier said, "Do you really think we will find anyone here alive here Shepard?"

"I don't know James" replied Shepard, "But if there is someone here, we are not leaving them behind."

James only shrugged as he stated, "Yes ma'am... But we might not get a choice." Before Shepard could rebuke his statement Cortez's voice called out in alarm.

"Brace yourselves everyone! We're about to enter the Reapers jamming radius!" he yelled.

The ship shook violently, rattling noisily as the metal groaned from some unknown pressure. And yet it stopped as soon as it had began.

Weird.

"Commander," came Joker's voice over the intercom, "do you read?"

Brow furrowing in confusion, Shepard said, "We're here Joker. What's happening?"

"Not entirely sure Commander" replied the Normandy's pilot, "Your signal dropped for a moment, but then you came back up." he paused for a moment, most likely reviewing the findings on his own console. "Edi's scans confirm that you are within range of the Reaper signal." he finally said with slight disbelief.

Ashley, shocked at the discovery as well, could only say, "That... that can't be right."

Shepard thought silently for a moment, contemplating what such a finding could mean. Finally, Shepard said, "Edi is never wrong about these sort of things," there was another pause before the Commander continued, "But just as a precaution: Edi I want you to analyze the Reaper's signal. Let me know if you find anything important."

"Very well Commander," Edi promptly replied.

The ship jolted slightly as it made its final descent onto the landing pad. A mournful silence filled the hull as the crew prepared to embark on their mission. The prospect of not finding any survivors weighed heavily upon the Commander's mind, among other things. She thought about Garrus and how much she missed him; His charismatic attitude, his jokes, his voice, his comforting touch. She thought about her time on the Normandy with her crew, and how at any moment it could all come to a crashing end. She thought about her time in the Alliance, and before that, her time in the Academy, and farther back, her home on Mindior. All events of her life, had led up to this one point in history.

Her gaze landed upon her own companions, her mind wondering what they were thinking in that instance. Were they picturing their families? Their lovers? Or simply looking back on their own events; Ensuring that they, themselves, had no regrets. With a soft sigh, Shepard looked away, placed her helmet upon her head, and readied her gun. She did not have look back to know that her teammates were doing the same thing. With a final nod to Cortez, she turned to face the hull's main door. She heard the familiar hum of the cockpits airlock doors move into place, followed by the hiss of the equilibrium systems. With a final glance at Ashley and James, Shepard activated the doors systems and took her first look at Mars.

The red-dust covered valley was the first sight to greet the Commander. From the distance, she saw the beginnings of the dust storm that was heading their way. The Commander knew that they did not much time before that storm rained hell on them. They needed to move fast. Motioning to her comrades, the three soldiers made their journey to the eerily quiet base.

"Looks like some of the researchers made a break for it," said Vega sullenly as he noted several crashed ships as the bottom of the gorge, "Didn't get far with that Reaper on the horizon."

Ashley sighed in frustration as she added, "Still doesn't explain why its not coming anywhere near the base."

Shepard's headset came to life as Joker's voice filled their helmets. "I believe I have the answer to that," he said triumphantly before pausing and quietly adding, "... Well, at least Edi does."

Shepard could only imagine Edi shaking her 'head' in either amusement or sheer embarrassment. Without a single pause, the AI said, "Shepard, I have been monitoring the Reapers jamming signal to determine any weaknesses that could have been be exploited by the science team. The signal is not coming from the Reaper alone."

Shepard nearly stopped dead in her tracks; Confusion and some form of unknown excitement taking hold of her mind. "What do you mean?", she asked Edi. The AI remained silent for a moment, as if contemplating what to say next, or perhaps looking over the information she had already gathered. Breaking the almost unbearable silence, Edi replied, "In addition to the Reapers signal, I am detecting an unknown energy fluctuation that appears to be counteracting all of the Reapers primary signals. In a sense, it is another jamming signal. Only this one is targeting the Reaper alone. In addition, the signal is also allowing certain frequencies to bypass the other signal. In a sense, it serves as a 'gateway'."

"Do you think its the research team?" asked Vega; His question filling Shepard with a rare sense of hope that the Commander hadn't felt since the days of the Collector's destruction.

Edi paused once again before answering. "That is highly unlikely," she said almost-sadly, "What portions of the signal I have managed to analyze do not match any known encryption of the Alliance or any other other established organization. Its behavior is also... odd."

Shepard could only imagine the frown that formed on her face, as Ashley as forced out, "Odd? How can a signal be acting odd?"

"It is difficult to explain," said Edi, "As I try to analyze it, it 'pulls away'. As if whatever is creating it knows I am watching and does not wish to be found."

The dull sound of gunfire cut-off anything that the AI might have wanted to add. "Uh, Commander, we got Reapers forces!" yelled Vega in his comm. Shepard wasted no time in ducking behind a crate; She didn't need to watch as Ashley and Vega did the same. Holding her gun close to her chest, she said over her headset, "Keep trying Edi. I want to know anything else that you can find." With a deep breath to calm her nerves, she slowly peeked around the corner of the crate to see the one thing, she hoped to never come across again.

"Looks like Cerberus is tangling with the Reapers", said Vega as they watched the yellow and white clad soldiers near-retreat. Ashley quickly asked, "What the hell are they doing here?!" The Cerberus troopers were slowly making toward the vehicle entrance of the Mars base; Meeting the opposing Reapers forces head-on. But, the strength of the Reaper's ground soldiers proved too much, as Cerberus' forces fell one by one. With the last of the troopers down, the Reaper's soldiers screamed in triumph, before falling silent. Slowly, their hollowed glowing eyes turned toward the Commander's position. In a flash, they began running toward the three Alliance soldiers. "We'll get to that later," yelled Shepard as she readied herself to fight. "Take those husks out!"

Her two companions did not need to be told twice as they opened fire upon the descending hoard. Bullets flew, grenades were thrown, and Eve unleashed the force of her biotics. One by one, the husks began to fall, each one screaming in agony as they were taken down. Shepard soon found herself smiling, not from the deaths of the enemy, but from the familiarity of the situation. Her own companions watching her back, their weapons firing rapidly but precisely, their powers unleashed with deadly strength, and with nothing standing between them and the enemy aside from a few areas of cover. This was the battlefield Shepard knew. This was were she had belonged. This is what she had missed during those months of imprisonment.

Even though they were outnumbered, the group of husks did not stand a chance against against the three highly trained Alliance soldiers. In a matter of minutes, the last of the husks fell into the red dust, and a silence took hold. Casting a glance to both of her companions, Shepard began to trek forward once again. With every step she took, her anticipation seemed to grow.

Anticipation?

For the device perhaps?

Or simply the thrill of the awaiting battle?

Maybe even, the possible end?

"Looks like even Cerberus doesn't stand a chance against the Reapers", came Vega's voice, pulling the Commander out of her own silent musings. Ashley's voice then followed after.

"But what's Cerberus doing here in the first place?" she said, casting what she believed was a secret glance at the Commander. It did not go unnoticed by Shepard, who decided it was better not to push the matter.

"Good question," she replied, hoping that the Lieutenant Commander would drop the topic. Her hopes were dashed away when she heard Ashley ask, "You don't know?"

Of course she would second-guess her yet again.

Before Shepard could reply, she saw the leading Vega quickly jump for cover. "More Reaper forces ahead!" he yelled as he opened fire on yet another group of husks.

The finger-pointing had to wait.

Taking cover as well, the Commander readied her own pistol before popping up and taking aim. With quick precision she took out her own fair share of husks. Though she certainly wasn't a Garrus, she knew how to use a pistol.

'Cocky turian', thought Eve to herself as she pulled a husk that had gotten too close over her cover and threw it to the ground; Slamming its head in with the heel of her combat boots.

Rushing out from cover, Eve proceeded to clear out the husks that were 'hiding' behind one of Cerberus' abandoned vehicles. More or less by throwing them out with a biotic push that put them in the open for Ash and Vega to take care of. And just as quickly as the first, the second group of husks fell silently into the dust.

In truth, it felt good to be in the field again. Even if it was fighting a nearly unstoppable force that threatened to destroy all the known civilizations of the galaxy for some unknown reason.

"Well that certainly doesn't help my mood," thought Eve as she made her way to the base's garage; Ash and Vega following closely behind as usual. Walking over to the dust covered control panel, Shepard activated the bay's large doors. They closed with a heavy thud... And then another... And then another.

Wait, those were footsteps.

Great.

"Alright Shepard," said Ashley in a tone that demanded the Commander's attention, "I want some answers and I want them now. What the hell is Cerberus doing here?"

To Eve's great relief, it seemed that Vega did not like the tone that Williams had with their commanding officer as he did not hesitate to retort, "What makes you think the Commander has anything to do with Cerberus?"

Ashley cast him a quick glance, or most likely a glare, before turning back to face the Commander once more. "Even you have to see the connection Vega," she said as she glared at Shepard, "Shepard worked with Cerberus before, and now they are here. That can't be a coincidence."

"Of course she would see a connection that wasn't there," thought Shepard as she stared right back at the other woman. Ever since Horizon, she hadn't heard a single word from the woman she had once called friend, and when they finally met again, Ashley had done nothing but second-guess her. Her! After everything she had done for the Alliance, no, the galaxy, she would dare question where her morals were. And on top of that, all Shepard had done for this one woman. She took this woman onto her ship from the very beginning, saw the potential the all others had refused to see, and pushed her to be the best not to clear her family name, but because she had the ability to be the best. And this was how she was repaid?! The Commander would have none of it. She could not take anymore. She simply would not. Though, the Commander was quite proud of herself that she quelled her urge to slap the living-shit out of Williams.

Stupid paragon-self.

"I can understand why it is hard for you to trust me now," she said as calmly as she could, "But I ask you to trust me when I say this: I did not work **for **Cerberus, I worked **with **them to stop the Collectors. That's all. After that, I have had nothing to do with them."

It was at this point, that Vega chose to step in once again. "Shepard had been under surveillance since her incarceration," he said matter-of-factly, "There is no way she could have been communicating with them without someone finding out."

Shepard did not wait for Ashley's reaction as she turned to activate the console once again. They just didn't have the time to negotiate upon the boundaries of trust. Eve felt that there shouldn't even have been an issue. But there was. And she knew she should have expected it. She should have remembered that Ashley was not one to hold her opinions until a proper time. If it had been another time, Shepard would have been more lenient to her mistrust, as both woman had clearly changed in some way.

"No," thought Eve to herself, "Everyone else changed. And I just didn't." With a hiss and a groan, the room began to equalize itself; Producing the same monotone voice that one could come to expect from a VI sterilization program. When it it announced the equalization and sterilization process complete, Eve did not hesitate to remove her helmet; Strapping the bulky dome to the free latch on her waist. She felt too constrained wearing the thing when her anger flared. Turning to face her companions, she noted that they had done the same as well.

Locking her eyes with Ashley's, Shepard said, "You trusted me once Ash. Everything I have ever done was for the good of the galaxy. Why is that so hard to believe that now?"

In turn, Ashley had no reply to give. And Shepard was not going to wait for one.

Once again turning back to the console, the Commander activated the bay lift. The elevators doors came down with a powerful thud, before the floor jolted, as the slightly outdated elevator began its assent. Only the sound of the lifts mechanics filled the air.

That is, until Ashley tried to speak what was on her mind once more, "... Shepard I-," but she was cut-off by the Normandy's star AI.

"Commander," Edi interrupted, "I am detecting several life forms above you. From the readings I am receiving, they are of both human and the Reaper's forces. I advice you to be prepared for battle."

Shepard gave an affirmative and pulled her pistol from its holster, knowing that she did not need to tell Ashley or Vega to do the same. As the lift got closer to the top, the sound of gunfire filled the air. Though the sounds of battle did not bode well with the Commander, she was glad the perhaps there were some people still alive.

With one last jolt, and a loud screech, the lift came to a stop, the doors opened, and the trio quickly made there way to the nearest forms of cover; Ducking alongside the survivors of the Mars base. From their uniforms, Eve could tell that they were security, if not military trained as well. At least then, they knew how to fight.

Wasting little time, the three added soldiers joined battle alongside the security officers. But what should have been an easy battle, proved to be more difficult than the Commander had anticipated. Those damned husks just kept coming in from all the other entrances. How could there have been so many already? But still they kept firing, as they were trained to do, and the husks just kept coming.

After what seemed like hours, the set of doors on the other side of the room, and Eve raised to gun to take aim, only to find an image that made her smile widely.

Liara, along with ten other security guards, rushed into the room and began to kill the offensive husks from behind. The Commander heard the soldiers on her side give a cheer, as they watched the Asari scientist unleash a singularity field upon a small group of husks, before pulling out her pistol to fire upon it; The result was a massive, but controlled, explosion of said singularity field.

Damn.

And in mere seconds, the battle was over. Rising from her crouched position, the Commander made her way over to her Asari friend. Liara, seeing Shepard's approach, smiled and said in a calming voice, "Shepard, impeccable timing as always. It is good to see you, but I wish it were under better... circumstances."

"Liara", began Shepard, "I so glad that you're safe."

The young Asari chuckled, though it was one that was seeded with tiredness. "Only with a few scratches and bruises, but yes, I am safe." she said, "My time as an information broker forced me to learn how to defend myself early on..." She then gave a quick glance to one of the security guards that had been with her as she added, "And of course I had the armed group of soldiers with me."

A smirk formed on the head of security's, a man by the name of Johnson, face as he replied, "Not like we were much help doctor. You took out most of them with your biotics. We mostly stood around looking pretty." This alone got a bright smile upon Liara's face.

That must be a good sign.

Ashley had apparently then edged her way to Shepard's side; Surprising since the spat they had only just before. "It's good to see you Liara," she said in a tone that showed she truly meant it.

"Its good to see you as well Ashley," replied Liara before a frown fell upon her face, "... Has Earth been...?"

Ashley could only nod for that moment. "Ya," she said then added in a near whisper.

Liara's deep blue eyes locked to Shepard, wanting to ask questions that Eve did not want to answer just then. "I see," said the Asari with regret, and she broke her gaze away from the Commander. "I'm so sorry," she whispered in a forlorn voice. After a moment's pause, a look of confusion came upon her face and she locked eyes with Shepard once more. "But what are you doing here? I would have assumed that the Alliance would have sent you of all people to at least appeal to the Council, for aid." she asked.

Now that, Eve could answer.

"Admiral Hackett told me you were here and might need some help," replied the Commander in a lighter tone than the atmosphere would have most likely allowed. She would not tell Liara the Hackett simply wanted the information of the Mars Beacon. It would have made him sound too cold, too uncaring. Shepard refused to believe that the Admiral truly believed in sacrificing so many lives for information, but something in her gut told her he had committed such acts in the past. And to this day, he must have carried those burdens.

"Yes," began Liara, pulling Shepard out of her musings, "After the Batarian Relay incident I decided to use my... resources to help everyone prepare for the Reaper invasion. Admiral Hackett contacted me a few months ago, asking if I could assist the science team in decrypting the Archives. We think we found something." She paused, as if thinking of what to say. "A device that could help destroy the Reapers," she finally said.

"A device?" Shepard nearly yelled, "Here?"

Liara seemed to catch herself, and quickly added, "Well... its blue-prints of a device. I believe that the Protheans were trying to build it when the Reapers came for them, but in the end... they simply ran out of time."

And then something hit Shepard: She barely knew anything about the Archives. Sure, she new that its discovery led to the finding and activation of the Charon Relay, as well as advanced humanity's technology to that of over several hundred years. But other than that, she knew next to nothing.

Well, they say humans are just too curious for their own good.

"What exactly are the Archives Liara?" asked the now very curios Commander.

Caught off by Shepard's sudden question, the Asari stuttered for a moment before regaining herself; Muttering that she didn't expect that question next. "I guess you can say its a library", she began, "A source of vast amounts of information gathered by the Protheans for thousands of years. When your species discovered it, it brought you forward technologically wise far beyond your current time. It is believed that without it, you wouldn't have discovered the Sol Relay, or be standing here today."

So even Liara didn't know more about the Beacon. That fact did not bode well with the Commander, but for some reason, did not overly surprise her.

And then came the next question: "What does this device actually do?", Shepard asked.

"As I said, what we found are simply blue-prints. As for what it does... I cannot say for sure. We were just about to begin its final decryption processes when the Reapers attacked."

Well there's some good news.

"And what you decrypted told you it was meant to stop the Reapers?" asked the hopeful Shepard.

"From what information we have gathered," Liara dodged, "the device was being built around the time the Reapers were here last. It is safe to assume that this device was being built as a last attempt to stop the invasion."

"But we still don't know what it does," Ashley stated bluntly.

Ashley...

Liara paused for a moment, most likely thinking of the best way to break the news. "… No," she muttered.

Damn it.

"Well that's just great," groaned James in frustration.

To think, they had escaped Earth to come to base looking for the key to destroy the Reapers, only to find that such a key might not exist. Things, it would seem, could never be simple for the Commander or her crew. Then again, when were they ever simple?

Locking eyes with the Asari, the Commander stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her friends shoulder. "I trust you Liara." said Shepard truthfully, "If you believe that this is a weapon against the Reapers, then it may be our best chance."

In return, Liara laid her own gloved hand upon the Commander's and offered a kind, gentle smile "Thank you Shepard," she said softly as the Commander pulled away. Something in the young Asari's voice seemed off. Granted, it had always been soft, but there was a melodic quality to it. Now it just seemed... hollow; As if Liara's mother had died in front of her all over again.

Then something hit Shepard, in the sense of memory: Cerberus. Could they possibly be in the base.

"Liara," said Shepard in an urgent voice, "Do you know why Cerberus is here?"

"I am aware of their presence," replied Liara, "I spotted a few of their vehicles with our outside security cameras. I have no doubt that many of them are in the base now."

Ashley nodded, casting an unreadable glance at the Commander as she said, "Ya, we ran into them on our way here, though they were pretty busy getting killed by the Reaper's husks. Seemed pretty desperate to get inside."

"Any idea what they are looking for?" asked Eve.

Stupid question.

Liara thought silently for a moment, before her eyes widened and she said, "They must be after what you are here for: The Beacon."

"Why?" asked Shepard.

Again, stupid question.

Liara locked eyes with the Commander; Her deep blue eyes shining with intellect and passion as she said, "The Archives contain the largest source of intact Prothean information known to the galaxy. If Cerberus were to get their hands on it... they may very well use that information for their own gain. We must reach it before them at all costs."

Her voice sounded too off, too strained. Something far worse than Reapers and Cerberus plagued the Asari's mind, and that thought alone put the Commander on edge.

"Are you okay Liara?" asked Shepard soothingly, "I mean, are you really okay?"

Liara looked away from the Commander as she replied, "I'll be fine Shepard. I just need some time... When we get out of here that is." The tone of her voice, was one that literally begged the Commander not to push the subject, at least not yet. And just as Liara had done for her, Shepard chose to drop the matter until another time: When they were safe and off the base.

"Okay," said Shepard as she took on her commanding persona, "lets get to the Archives before Cerberus or the husks can get to it."

But before anyone could move, the familiar voice of Cortez blared upon the radio.

"Commander," he said in a voice that contained panic, "I have a hail from a group of scientist and noncombatants that have bunkered down about a mile away from the landing zone. They are going to get swarmed by Reaper forces unless we evacuate them now!"

Never. Simple. Ever.

"What is it Shepard," asked Liara when she saw the look frustration upon her friend's face.

"There's a group of survivors, scientists, nearby with Reaper forces heading their way. If we don't find a way to evacuate them, I don't think they'll survive," replied Shepard in a tone that told the Asari what options, what outcomes, were in play now.

Liara, looked as though she turned an even paler blue, and said in a desperate tone, "We can't leave them Shepard."

"But we don't have time to go back for them," shot Vega from behind the Commander.

The Commander stood there; Contemplating. Over what? The value of lives that were on the line? That wasn't like Shepard. Not at all. She made it her sole philosophy to save as many lives as possible. But what if that meant allowing two million lives to be lost so that twenty million others could be saved.

"God," thought Eve to herself, "This **is** war."*

Pulling her mind out of its reprieve, the Commander turned to Johnson and asked, "Captain, how fit are you and your men to fight?"

The Captain in turn, only offered a short shrug, before he replied, "We took a pretty rough beating before Doctor T'soni found us. Don't know if we can survive another skirmish."

"So let the scientists hold out on their own," as he began to make his way to the room's point of access. But his stride faltered as he heard Liara yell, "They won't be able to. They don't even know how to defend themselves."

The room was then plunged into silence, as all eyes fell upon the Commander.

Dammit.

Shepard heard Ashley release a soft sigh before she softly said, "Its your call commander. What do you want to do?"

Dammit all to hell.

One mere decision that could... would possibly countless lives, if not every single individual life that remained in the galaxy. A single choice to save one group at the loss of another. One chance to make a call that could help or hinder the Commander's chances of victory. The entire situation came down to numbers, and Eve hated it. No life should ever be weighed in worth; No soul put up for bargain. In her short life, the Commander would have never expected to make a near deal with the devil, but working for the Illusive Man was close enough to the scenario. A decision had to be made, its consequences face, and perhaps one day, its own oblivion in history.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, the Commander spoke. "Vega," said Shepard, "take the security squad and get those people out of there. Hail for Cortez when you are in position."*

But to think that the large man would agree with her decision was a little too much to ask for. But only a little.

"Commander-", began Vega, but he was quickly cut off by the Commander's rarely used, cold stare; A look that demanded the young man to shut his mouth and do as he was told.

"Now Lieutenant," she said as she turned to face her other two companions. "Williams, you're with me," she said as she pulled out her weapon once more. She heeded to the urge to glance back at the security team and Vega moving toward their next goal. Though most of the men stood tall and proud, the young woman could clearly see that a good portion of them were injured as well. She could only hope that she wasn't sending them all to their doom as they marched head-on into battle once more.

"Be safe," offered the Commander silently as she pulled her attention to the task at hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, the Commander could see a faint smile of relief grace Liara's lips, and she heard the Asari whisper, "Thank you Shepard."

Turning so that they stood face-to-face, Eve simply replied, "I won't let people who can't even fight be left to the Reapers."

Not again. Not like those on Earth.

Liara could only nod at the Commander's words, but that same smile continued to grace her face as she pulled out her own weapon.

"Well then," she began, "If you are going after the archives, I best go along as well. You'll need me if you hope to get any information from it." She drifted off into a moment of silence before she added, "Perhaps we shall find more survivors along the way."

With a nod of confirmation, the Commander once again readied herself for what could be waiting for them ahead. "It's now, or never," she thought as she felt herself step forward.

"No," she added as she heard Liara and Ashley follow her, "It's only now."

To say the trek to the Archives was simple would be a bit of an understatement... Well perhaps more of a large understatement. To the trio, it felt like every corner had a surprise around it, every hallway a husk waiting for them, and in every room, the body of an individual who was just not fast enough. On Earth, there was space to maneuver, places to hide, and exploits with the environment. But here, it was a nightmare. True, there was cover, but hiding behind a upturned table could only get you so far. And to stack the odds further, a stray bullet in the already damaged glass could send them all into space; To which Eve had no intention of ever experiencing again.

Of course, on could also not forget the newly upgraded husks...

"What the hell is that thing?!" yelled Ashley as she quickly rolled for cover.

Standing just down the hall, was what Eve could initially describe as a midget. Or perhaps to be more accurate, a dwarf of some kind that she heard about from tales her father had told her as a child. Short in stature, this creature appeared to be armored head-to-toe. Large barbs protruded from its back and it wide lower arms. Even from their distance, Eve could see its small glowing eyes lock onto her as it slowly lumbered forward.*

With one arm raised so that its wide, lower arm covered a majority of its exposed flesh, it stomped forward. And just as the Commander thought such a creature couldn't possibly be to much trouble, did the thing suddenly role forward at high speeds.

Well that was unexpected.

Rolling to the side, the Commander barely managed to dodge the rolling, spikey ball of hell. A quick image flashed through her mind her she imagined being impaled on the thing's spikes. A shiver ran down her back, but it did little to stop her as quickly picked herself up to face the new enemy.

"It's in the center of its back!" yelled Liara as she opened fire on the heavily armored husks.

"Time your shots and try not to get run-over!"

Seemed simple enough.

Until Eve saw three other 'roly polys' coming around the corner.

Nevermind.

The trio found themselves a set of metallic doors. Though the distance from their starting point was short, the constant fighting did little to make the trip seem any easier. Husk after husk threw themselves at the fighting women, only to die from a bullet, grenade, or some biotic talent. The hardest part, at least in the Commander's opinion, was fighting those rolling husks. Spikey-balls , plus a hallway, minus reliable cover, equaled out to one hell of a fight and a lot of close calls.

"At least its not one of those stalker things from the subway," thought Shepard as she watched Liara approach the door; Her blood ran cold for a moment as she remembered how close that thing had been to biting her head off.

An irritated huff from the Asari scientist drew the Commander out from her own musings. She watched as Liara tried, multiples times, to enter in her own security code, only to find that the doors

"It looks like the doors have been put on lockdown," she said as she stared at the lock in frustration; Its electronic lock glowed a familiarly mocking orange. The Asari toyed with her omnitool for a few moments more, trying to open the doors. But a deeper frown soon graced her young face, as her attempt led to no success once more. "I can't get into the system. From what I'm gathering, the coding for the lock changes every tenth of a second. My own software cannot even breech it."

Are. You. KIDDING. Me?!

"Do you think Cerberus made it this far into the base?" asked Ashley has she peered out the base's windows.

"It's a possibility," replied Liara before she gave a huff of annoyance and pulled herself away from the still locked door.

So much for that.

"It's no use," she said as she locked eyes with Shepard, "I can't get through. We will have to find another route to the archives."

"Any suggestions?" asked Shepard.

The young Asari thought for a moment or two, before replying, "Yes, I believe there is." She did not offer more as she pulled out her omnitool once more. With quick, nimble fingers, she pulled up what appeared to be a miniature layout of the base; Three glowing dots indicated the position of the companions. She then continued, "There is a maintenance access point nearby that leads to the outside. If we were to use that, we can make our way across the maintenance walkways, to the next access point." She trailed off, as she thought once more. "With any luck," she finally added, "we won't meet opposition along the way."

Ashley, being a Williams, suddenly added her own thoughts into the mix. "It's not the husks I'm really concerned about," she said with a near groan.

"If we move fast enough," Liara shot back, "we can make it before the storm hits as well."

Hhm, stay inside, get moshed by husks. Or, go outside, and get blown away by a storm. So many good choices to pick from, and so little time to think.

"Are you sure there isn't another route we could take?" asked Shepard, "Preferably one that doesn't lead to the chances of getting spaced?"

A strange choice in words considering...

The young Asari looked down at her omnitool once more; Her blue eyes scanning anything, even the smallest of gaps, that could possible be used as a way to the archives. But alas, such dreams were dashed away as Liara replied, "There doesn't appear to by any other way on the inside. My scans show that all of the main routes to the tram-station, are under lockdown. And as you saw just now, the chances of being able to hack through them all relatively slim."

Well somebody certainly didn't want to make the situation any easier.

"Alright then," said Shepard as she tried to keep a somewhat collective looking face, "looks like we're taking the highroad then. Let's move fast and be careful."

Taking one last glance at her omnitool, Liara deactivated the glowing device and said, "The access point is just within the vaults. Because of the sensitive material that was discovered here, a new ventilation system had to be installed, hence the maintenance shaft. It should have a near direct route to the next access point. We should get moving if we wish to beat the impending storm."

Too late, the mother of all shit storms has already reached the galaxy.

Before Shepard could reply, an all too familiar screech filled the air, and the trio turned their attention to the approaching enemies from down the hall. With a silent sigh, the Commander readied her own gun and ducked behind the nearest cover she could find.

This was going to be one long story to tell her children one day*.

Something foul hung in the air as the three companions approached the vault area doors. It smelled... It smelled like burning flesh; A scent that the Commander had constantly tried to forget after smelling her own flesh burn as she entered the gravity field of Alchera.

Or at least, she dreamed that she had smelled it, on nights were the nightmares plagued her the most.

Surprisingly, no husks appeared to be in the area, to which the Commander was grateful for. But as they continued onward, Shepard began to wish for a fight, just to distract her from that forsaken scent.

What the hell was that?

Finally, they had arrived at the vault's primary doors. Liara, being the only own with the correct codes to enter, stepped forward to stand before the door's security panel. With a flick of her wrist, she activated her omnitool, and was about to enter her clearance, when she stopped. After a brief pause, as if thinking, she started to decode the door. "Strange," she said as she continued her progress, "The vault's decontamination routine is active. I shut them down now, but... Why were they active?" And with that, the doors opened to reveal the rarest treasures of Mars.

And the source of the smell.

"My God!" screamed Ashley as she tried to cover her nose with her armored hand.

Liara stared in horror at what was within and muttered, "By the Goddess," as she took a step back.

Shepard, was no better, as a thousand curses ran through her head, and could only stare at the rooms 'occupants'.

Lying across the floor, from one side of the room to the next, were the bodies of humans, and a few husks, who were all trapped within the room when the decontamination routine was activated.

"They were literally burned alive," thought Shepard as she stepped softly into the room. A shiver ran up her spine as the gazes of the deceased humans fell upon her; Their hollowed eyes locked onto her very soul, and their gaping, deformed mouths screaming the same thing: Why?

Why weren't you fast enough?

Why did you let this happen?

Why didn't you try harder?

Why did you leave us?

Why were you chosen?

Why?

Why?

Why?

WHY?

To this, the Commander had no answer to give.

"Shepard," called a voice from behind her.

The Commander turned to find Liara standing within the room now; Her eyes filled with grief and unshed tears, but the Asari continued on in a strong voice. "We cannot do anything for these people now," she said as she looked forlornly at one of the corpses, "The best we can offer is to save those of us who are left." She paused as she pulled her gaze back to Shepard. "Its all we can offer," she finished as she walked over to one of the vault's tables; Her shaking hands reaching for pads that could contain crucial, if not irreplaceable, data in them.

Some normalcy, to the young Asari, as well as to Shepard.

The Commander did not answer, as she to, scavenged for anything that could be of use... Or at least, take her mind off the bodies that littered the floor.

A weapon mod here.

A data pad there.

A camera in the corner.

… What?

Turning her head slightly, the Commander saw movement out of the corner of her eye. A camera, hanging from the wall, watching them.

No, watching her.

Casting a quick glance toward the other two women, over-hearing their conversation of what was in the vault, Shepard once again locked her gaze onto the camera and took a step to the left.

The camera moved left.

She took a step to the right.

The camera shifted right.

"Must be motioned sensored," thought Shepard as she waved at the machine.

Only to have it wave back in its own manner.

What the hell?

"Shepard?"

The Commander spun around to meet the concerned eyes of Ashley and Liara locked on to her.

How much did they see?

"Are you okay," finished Ashley.

Everything.

Taking a glance at the camera once more, Shepard saw that the machine was no longer locked onto her, but continuing to shift slowly left, then right, then left again; A standard security routine.

… Okay...

Locking eyes with her companion once more, Shepard replied, "I'm fine. I... I just thought I saw something."

Ashley remained silent, surprising considering her normal abrasive personality. Instead, she only offered a single nod before breaking the gaze.

Strange.

"Shepard," said Liara as she trekked her way across the room, ensuring she did not step on any of the tortured remains of her acquaintances, "The entrance to one of the access tunnels is in here." She activated her omnitool once more, and motioned to one of the vault steel walls. Within moments, a panel to the room's wall shifted to reveal a short tunnel with a ladder at the end.

Well that was convenient.

"It would be best if we hurry," the Asari continued as she began to put her breather on, "That storm could be on us any minute, and we have no idea if any enemies are waiting for us."

Oh ya.

Sighing silently in frustration, the Commander reached for her own helmet clipped to her waist; Its familiar weight calmed Shepard's nerves as she held it in her hands.

"No time to waste then," she said as she locked her helmet on.

Liara could only offer a nod, as she turned and made her way down the short maintenance tunnel. Her soft steps echoed loudly as she made her way for the ladder. The Commander, noticing that Ashley had her own helmet on, motioned for the soldier to follow Liara; An order that the other woman did not hesitate to follow thankfully. Casting one more silent glance around the room, ensuring that nothing important... Or anyone alive, was left behind, that Commander followed her two companions to their next destination.

She did not see the camera was once again locked on her; It's dark lens watching her every move until its view was cut off by the steel panel lowering itself back into place.

Once again, it seemed that fate preferred to make the Commander's job even more difficult. Or, as the more optimistic side of Shepard preferred to think: Interesting.

Of course, it had been simple for the traveling trio as the entered the maintenance tunnel and climbed the ladder up. It was a piece of cake to exit said ladder, and find themselves in the maintenance airlock. Absolutely no thinking was needed, as they waited for the room's pressure to equalize with the outside's. And of course, it was a walk in the park to ready their weapons when the VI confirmed that equilibrium had been met.

Of course, they take two steps outside, and the walk in the park suddenly turns into a game of 'dive, duck, and shoot'.

Not only was the outer fringes of the storm upon them, throwing debris and dust at the companions, but they had met opposition as well. Husks, apparently, could climb pretty well; A fact that Shepard had forgotten even after seeing them do it on Earth.

Fate, it seemed, was just plain cruel.

Every step that seemed to take them closer to their goal, also increased their chances of being knocked off the pathway from the storm, or get shot by one of the husks.

"Well, at least one good thing came from this," thought Shepard as she kicked a husk over the railing, "Husks don't appear to land on their feet."

She had to resist the urge to shout, "This is Shepard," every time she threw, kicked, or shot an abomination of the walkway area. There was simply no time to act like a child now. But only now. Later... It would be a completely different story. It was just a simple question of when later was.

Of course, the journey would have been much harder with the 'Rollers' that happened to show up as well... If they had the ability to stop. Apparently, when they were created, the Reapers failed to see that stopping, is a good skill to have. It keeps one from running over a dog with their car, lets one take in the scenery better, and of course, keeps one from rolling of a walkway ledge and to their doom.

Though Shepard loved to use her biotics and pistol, there was just something addicting about letting one of the abominations roll straight at her, only to step to the side at the last minute, and let it meet its demise.

It's not cheating... It's called tactics.

"That looks like the last of them," said Ashley as she pulled herself up from cover.

"And that looks like the maintenance entrance," replied Liara as she began to move forward.

Shepard could have sworn she heard her human companion sigh with relief as she said, "Thank God. This storm's getting pretty bad. I don't even remember how many times I was almost knocked off the platform."

Many, many times most likely.

With a flick of her omnitool, and the twitch of her light fingers, the maintenance door was quickly unlocked, and the trio found themselves standing in a cramped room once more, waiting for the announcement that it was safe to relieve themselves of their helmets.

Only silence reigned in the small area.

Well that can't be good.

"Liara?" inquired Shepard as she turned to face the Asari.

Her companion in turn, simply activated her omnitool, and began the rigorous process of of scanning for any faults within the system. After mere seconds of pure silence, Liara finally replied, "Something is wrong with the ventilation system. It appears that a portion of this section has is devoid of any oxygen... It has been vented out."

What the hell was going on?

"I'll have to manually override the lockdown. It should only take a second, but we will be unable to remove our helmets until this sector has been depressurized," continued Liara as she continued to tap her fingers along her omnitool. Her own silence did not last long, as she muttered quietly, "But who vented out this sector in the first place?"

Shepard, had no answer to give that would console the near emotionally compromised Asari.

With a click, and inaudible hiss, the latch to the maintenance entrance was raised up, to reveal the impending dark that awaiting the traveling companions. Without waiting for permission, Liara powered down her own omnitool, and quickly made her way down the access ladder; Her drive based upon solving the mystery of the occurrences in the base, more than reaching the beacon at this point. Ashley quickly followed behind her.

Shepard only allowed herself to hesitate for a moment, one mere moment to calm her prickling nerves, before she too, followed her companions into the darkness.

And dark it certainly was. Liara had commented that the power must have been down before their arrival, hence the failure of the ventilation system and lighting. But then, she had recalled, that the base had several units of emergency generators to keep such a thing from happening.

So what the hell happened to the emergency generators?

As they trekked along the dark corridor, the lights slowly began to flicker back on, as power was once again diverted to the devoid section the trio had found themselves in.

"Warning," said the monotoned VI as it came back online, "Power failure detected. All personnel are to vacate the area until further notice."

Well that warning was a tad bit late.

Ignoring the repetitive VI, the three companions continued their journey through the darkness. Every once in a while, the Commander would glance back over her shoulder; Searching for any signs of approaching enemies from behind. There was simply something about the darkness that did not seem right. It was as if the inky blackness was just waiting to swallow the three companions up. And to make it worse, was the sound. Or lack thereof.

Aside from the VI's recorded voice, the area was quiet.

Deathly quiet.

Finally, the trio found themselves as a set of doors, labeled with the sign, 'Cafeteria'. Though the sector still remained low on power, the doors gave a soft groan, and slowly opened.

"Today's special," droned the VI, "is chicken cordon bleu, served with a side of mixed vegetables and buttered biscuits."

It forgot to mention, a side of bodies.

Like the vault, the cafeteria contained numerous deceased members of the Mars base. Their bodies were scattered across the floor, along with data pads, trays of food, and other objects. These people had died when they least expected it.

"What the hell happened here?," said Ashley as she followed the Commander into yet, another, room of death.

"Someone activated the venting systems." replied Laria, "... While these people were still inside."

"God, they died trying to claw their way out."

Shepard would have liked to believe she was sad, if not angered, by the loss of lives. And yet, she could not. She couldn't feel anything at this point. Eve didn't bother to look at the discolored faces of those lying on the ground, as she knew their eyes would be asking the exact same questions as those of the vault.

All revolving around the single word, 'Why'.

And to think, just for a moment, one single moment, Eve thought the worst of the base had past. That at most they would find a survivor or two, perhaps information on those who had died in such a place so that their families would be notified. But instead, the group found nothing but death and despair time, and time again. And yet, even more disturbing, was how both groups had died: by fire, and the cold grasp of space. It was too much like how she, her own self, had died two years before. It brought back the one memory she wished to forget, full-force. At least, Shepard had been prepared to die in some form of battle. But these noncombatants, they didn't stand a chance. None did at this rate.

"No wonder the Reapers managed to harvest the cycles so easily", thought the Commander as she made her way over to a data pad, "they'll just drain the will to fight out of us until we are as empty as their husks."

Shaking her head at the sudden negative thought, the Commander reprimanded herself, "No. They can be defeated Eve. Pull yourself together. Just stay focused and take it one step at a time. We defeated the Reaper's once. We can surely do it again." She continued to chant that same verse in her head as she searched the room for anything of use; Only catching snippets of Liara and Ashley's conversation once again. Positive that she had found all that was worth salvaging, Shepard made her way over to the exiting doors of the cafeteria. But upon her approach, the door refused to open. "Must still be under lockdown from the venting process," thought Shepard. The Commander was about to call Liara over to force open the door, but was cut short as the VI announced, "Equilibrium has been met in Sector 2B-6. Equilibrium has been met in Sector 2B-6. All personnel are advised to proceed with caution, and report to the medical wing at the earliest sign of physical compromise."

Finally.

Reaching, the Commander gently unclasped the bulky helmet with gentle fingers; Sighing with relief as the weight shifted off of her shoulders. As she buckled the armor piece to her waist, her ears perked up as she heard Liara and Ashley remove their own helmets.

All three tried their best not to look at the traumatized faces of the deceased. Instead, they chose to offer their own silent prayer to those who were lost, not only on the base, but perhaps to those of Earth and the other home-worlds as well, before making their way out the exit.

And then they heard something.

A gasp of surprise?

A survivor?

It was almost too much to hope for at this point.

Choosing to remain cautious, the Commander pulled out her pistol and scanned the room. "Company," she clarified quietly as she took several more steps into the eerily quiet area.

Only to jump back as the sound of clattering metal crashed through the silence. Raising their weapons, the trio turned to the source of the sound; The thoughts of battle steeling their nerves. Yet, is was not husk they found, but rather a woman, pulling herself out of the storage cabinet at the far side of the room.

The trio quickly lowered there guns.

No need to kill even more noncombatants.

She was of average height, nearly the same height as Shepard, with a lean, nearly lanky body; The body of one who had never seen true combat, but kept themselves physically healthy. Her face, was one of youth, but also, maturity. High, but gentle cheeckbones aligned nicely with her jawline, which then dropped to a long, yet graceful, chin. She had a long bridged nose that further accented the grace of her lightly colored face, while her full lips showed signs a natural smile. Her hair, nearly a platinum color, framed her face in a loose wedge cut parted down the middle. But her eyes, those storm colored eyes sparkled with a mixture of pure intelligence, and of course, fear. To the Commander's surprise, this woman wore what appeared to be the uniform of a scientist: a light blue colored sweater, paired with a beige jacket and pants, and dark colored shoes.

To say the least, Shepard was VERY grateful she didn't turn out to be a husk.

"Dr. T'soni?" said the woman as she pulled herself out completely and straightened her damaged clothing.

The mentioned Asari sighed with relief and quickly made her way over to the shaking woman; A soft, caring smile set upon her face.

"Dr. Ivers," said Liara as she comfortingly grasped the woman's arm, "I'm so glad to see that you are safe," she then paused before adding softly, "But what are you doing here?"

The young woman, now known as Dr. Ivers, gently pulled her arm out of Liara's grasp and shook her head slightly. "I was hiding from those... those things," she replied forlornly; Her eyes seeming to blank for a moment, as if caught in some horrific memory. Shepard didn't need to ask this woman how many people died in front of her while she simply ran away. Quite frankly, the Commander simply did not want to know. Fear, and the fear of fear, could make people do terrible things. But then again, deeming one's own survival important did not always make one a bad person... Did it?

Shepard watched as Liara raised her hand once more, as if to try and comfort the woman. And yet, she simply lowered her hand once more to her side; Deducing that the traumatized doctor would seek out comfort at a different time. One of which they would not be hunted down by Reapers of course. Instead, the Asari turned to Shepard and said, "Shepard, this is Dr. Mercia Ivers. She was been decrypting the Mars archives for the Alliance these past seven years, and has been helping me since my own arrival here."

Upon the mentioning of her name, the scientist looked up to lock eyes with the Commander. Her own eyes widened slightly as the presence of the near legendary, if not infamous, human Specter, but she none-the-less, kept whatever remark she had to herself.

Shepard didn't know whether to be grateful, embarrassed, or a little disappointed in the lack of reaction.

"Good to know at least someone has managed to survive the Reaper husks," said the Commander warmly, hoping to melt away the stress that seemed to encase the doctor's mind.

It seemed to work, as Ivers replied with a small chuckle, "I'm not really one for fighting," she paused, before quietly adding, "but I have no intention of dying either."

Way to suck up whatever fraction of joy there was.

"But how did you survive in the first place?" asked Liara suddenly, "The last I heard, the commons area was being swarmed by Reaper husks."

Ivers shrugged lightly before she relied, "Hiding is a good skill to have Doctor. It can save your life more times than you would expect."

So can shooting... and biotics... and grenades... and a lot of alcohol.

And then, Shepard thought, that Dr. Ivers could possibly know more about the Archives than Liara, considering that the human woman had been on the base much longer than the Asari. The possibility made it quite clear that it would be wise to ask for any information; Though the Commander hoped that it didn't harm Liara's pride in anyway.

"What can you tell me about the Archives Dr. Ivers?" asked Shepard as she cast a wary glance toward Liara, who in turn, kept her own gaze locked onto the other doctor.

So much for a wounded ego.

That was a good thing, wasn't it?

"Not much I'm afraid." replied Dr. Ivers, "Dr. T'soni is the leading expert on Prothean technology here. I just run the decrypting protocols."

Well that explains the lack of a wounded ego from Liara.

"But..."

That got the Commander's attention. Locking her gaze back onto Ivers, the Commander ground out, "But?"

Please be something that has to do with stopping the Reapers.

Please be something that has to do with stopping the Reapers.

Please be something that has to do with stopping the Reapers.

There was a slight pause from the doctor; One that festered in the small confines of the room and put the Commander on edge. "...Before the Reaper attack," Ivers began, "we were getting some strange energy fluctuations from the beacon. Not like anything we have ever encountered before."

Liara seemed to perk up at the new information and quickly said, "But that's... What was it doing?"

The human doctor shrugged her slender shoulders, before replying. "I can't say for sure. But whatever it was, it nearly fried our computer's system."

Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

She continued, "Right after I received word of its activities, the Reapers had just arrived."

Now that, Shepard new, was bad.

Suddenly, Ashley, who was eerily silent, suddenly asked, "Shepard, do you think that the beacon is creating the counter signal?"

"What signal?" asked the Asari with a tone of shock.

Oh ya...

"There is another signal counteracting the Reaper's jamming signal." replied Shepard in a manner that relayed an apology to Liara. "From what we can tell, it is keeping the main Reaper away, but not the husks. Edi has yet to confirm what it is."

Such a proclamation did not go ignored by doctor Ivers, as she quickly pulled out her omnitool. It's soft orange glow lit up her face as her fingers danced delicately upon the electronic device. From Shepard's view, it appeared the doctor was looking over cataloged information, or perhaps, searching for what the Commander spoke of. "Yes," Ivers said as she continued looking through her information, "if the Protheans had left messages for this cycle during their own... harvest, maybe they programmed this beacon to activate at a certain time, or under certain met protocols."

What?

"But during our own invasion?" asked a very now stressed Asari.

Ivers quickly put her omnitool away as her grey eyes locked with Liara blue ones. In a tone that purely conveyed her own anxiety, the doctor replied, "It's just a guess doctor."

Some guess. But having another scientist with valid information alive gave Shepard hope that perhaps they could figure out what the blue-prints the Protheans left behind were for.

And then, that raised another question.

"Do you know what happened to those people in the next room? Why was that area vented out?" asked Shepard in a tone that pointed no accusations toward the traumatized scientist. Or at least, that was what the Commander hoped for. No need to go pointing fingers at everyone over everything.

Unfortunately, the tone only seemed to carry itself halfway across, as Ivers narrowed her eyes and replied cautiously, "What do you mean?"

And even more unfortunate, Ashley apparently didn't get the hint at the Commander's previous tone, as the female soldier quickly shot back, "The dead ones." She took a threatening step forward, her dark eyes locked onto the nervous doctor. "You know, the ones that died fighting for their last breath" she finished.

"What are you saying?" Ivers cried out, "That I killed them?"

Ashley...

"Why not?" Ashley quickly replied, "You were hiding in the venting control room. Probably didn't want the Reaper husks getting in, so you spaced them, along with the other scientists."

Shut up...

"Ashley," the Commander quickly intervened, "that's enough!"

But even the Commander's own intervention didn't seem to be enough for the now enraged Dr. Ivers. Compromise, as it would seem, was not an option to the infuriated scientist until she said exactly what was on her mind.

And Shepard, could not find it in herself to blame her.

"Those were my friends," she cried out in a mixture of anger and desperation, "my colleagues! I could never do something like that! By the time I got here, the venting systems had already been activated! And there is no possible way I would have been able to initiate venting protocols in the first place!"

During the doctor's outburst, Ashley had taken a short step back in surprise. She truly wasn't expecting such an outburst from one who look as though they preferred quiet and solitude over all else. Of course, such an outburst also added to the fire of Ashley's own rage. In reality, Ashley had been used to being yelled out by others, and learned to never lash back out in retaliation. But such individual's who dared raised their voice to her were in the Alliance; Drill Sergeants, Captains, Commanders, other soldiers of her own equal standing. Never before had a civilian raised their voice to her, and Shepard knew, that the Lieutenant Commander would not tolerate it.

Luckily for all of them, the calming Asari thought it best to step in at that particular moment.

"She is right," said Liara in a soothing voice, "in order to initiate the venting protocols, you need both of the security over-ride codes. Only the chief of security and chief of engineering have... had that." She then looked toward the shaking Dr. Ivers, her eyes holding a silent apology as she finished, "There is no plausible way that Dr. Ivers could have started the venting perimeters."

Thank you Liara.

The 'heat' of the situation quickly defused from the room, as Ashley looked away sheepishly. Though the Commander knew that Ashley was always a bit... paranoid when it came to those she did not know, Shepard couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ashley's constant second-guessing. But then again, it raised the question of where Ashley's doubt and inability to trust came from.

Perhaps it was because she had done it to the nonhuman crew of the first Normandy.

Perhaps it was because she had always second-guessed Shepard, upon seeing her on Horizon.

Or perhaps, and maybe even more so, she simply did it because she had always doubted herself.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Ashley slowly turned to lock eyes with Dr. Ivers once more. This time, her gaze held a look of embarrassment and regret.

Well at least she felt that way for **someone**.

"... Sorry." said Ashley.

Dr. Ivers simply stared at the Lieutenant Commander, her own grey eyes seeking out something within the female soldier. Most likely, the sense of truth. Content with what she saw, the doctor offered only a silent nod to Ashley before turning her attention back to the Commander.

So if the doctor hadn't vented out the room, who did?

The question was possibly answered by the remembrance of a few certain colors.

Returning Dr. Ivers' unbiased gaze, the Commander asked, "Do you know why Cerberus is here doctor?"

Dr. Ivers' eyes grew a fraction wider, an expression of shock and enhanced fear. "Cerberus?" she said breathlessly, "I heard gunfire, but I always assumed it was security."

"So that's a no?" said Ashley from behind.

Don't even start Williams.

Luckily, the doctor appeared to had gotten over Ashley's accusations, and calmly, if not politely replied, "Just before the Reapers landed, we managed to get a portion of a emergency signal out; Enough to at least let nearby Alliance ships that the Reapers were here." She paused as she thought for a moment, and then added, "It could be possible that Cerberus was nearby at the time..." Her eyes then widened even more as a certain thought, one that at crossed the Commander own mind, came to the forefront. "Could it be they detected the Beacon's signal as well?" she asked more to Liara than anyone else.

Liara only replied, "It a possibility we can't ignore."

No it certainly wasn't.

All the more reason to move quickly.

If it wasn't the Reapers, it was Cerberus. And if it wasn't Cerberus, than it was space pirates. And if it wasn't space pirates... It was space hamsters.

… Damn that space hamster.

"Better not wait around for that Reaper or Cerberus to find us," Shepard proclaimed as she readied her gun. Turning her attention back to Mercia, Shepard asked, "Dr. Ivers, can you get yourself to the landing zone safely for pick up?"

A coy smile crossed the doctors face, a look that the Commander was definitely not expecting from the seemingly quiet woman. "With all due respect Commander," she replied, "I would like to accompany you to the Beacon."

"Why is it when someone says, 'With all due respect,' they mean, 'Kiss my ass'?" chuckled Ashley from behind the group.

Well at least the two had gotten over their previous argument.

"If the Beacon has indeed activated," continued the doctor in a stronger tone, "you will need someone who is an expert in data cataloging." She broke off for a moment, as she cast a glance toward the Commander's own Asari scientist. "No offense Dr. T'soni," she said with a soft chuckle.

Liara, in turn, offered only a smile and a nod toward her human counterpart before turning to face Shepard. "She's right Commander," Liara began, "We don't know exactly what the Beacon is doing, and Dr. Core is the leading expert on data referencing. It would be best to take her."

Shepard could have sworn she saw the human doctor swell with pride at Liara's words.

Well look who has a fan.

Thinking over their given options, the Commander realized how few they actually had. True, Liara was indeed gifted, if not an fully-fledged expert, when it came to Protheans. But that fact alone, did not give the Commander the sole right to turn down any additional help when it was offered in such a field. Then again, Dr. Ivers certainly did not look to be the type who had ever seen combat. Rather, she looked to be the exact opposite; One who preferred the orderly confines of a lab to an open battle field. To take her, would put even more burden upon Shepard and her two companions, as they surely would have to protect such an individual. However, thinking back to the previous years, as she and her crew hunted down Saren, then the Collectors, the Commander knew, that she and her teamates could handle it.

...Maybe.

...Hopefully.

…If they were extremely careful.

"Alright Dr. Ivers Stay close," said Shepard began walking toward the door, "keep your head down, your eyes sharp, and your body moving, and we'll get you to the beacon safely. I promise."

A look of joy, if not relief, passed across the doctor's face. With a light nod of her head, she quickly fell behind the Commander; The heels of her shoes loudly clacking against the hard floor.

So much for sneaking the rest of the way through.

Together, the now four traveling companions quickly stripped the room of any useful resources, before departing. It was clear to all of them of just how close they were to their goal.

And yet also, how far they were from the end.

The final stretch to the tram-station, was mixture of both ease and difficulty. To the three experienced combatants, the endless wave of husks and potential danger, was familiar to them. When others saw chaos and the death, the Shepard and her crew, saw order and the means to live. In order, death comes to all. It is as simple as that. There is simply no escaping the inevitable end that comes to all. It then becomes more-so as a question of how, rather then when. A bullet to the head, a stab to the heart, a disease the ravages the body, the passing of time; Simple variables that somehow, in some manner of which cannot be named, the weigh upon the very value of death. When one looks upon a child, they would rather which for them to live a fulfilled life, and only meet their own end when they have aged beyond that of youth. One tends to never wish for a child to know of death, nor famine, nor disease, nor loss. Instead, one would rather have them live in a world where such things, though as natural as they may be, do not exist. That is the order of which people, such as Commander Shepard, abide by in some form, as they broke the ideals of protecting children; By being forgotten in their own protection. They know of death, it is a concept that they have all known since their own childhood. Famine and disease are of little mystery to them, for time and time again, they were exposed to it in some manner. And loss, a term that can apply to an infinite amount of subjects, is much too common for even the most insane of the group. And yet, they carry on, not because they must, but simply because they chose to. They chose to fight, to die, to starve, to be riddled with sickness, and to lose parts of themselves so that no other individual had to. To walk through the flames of self-destruction in the name of preserving others is what constantly gave the Commander and her crew the strength to keep going forward.

And in that order, it gave them the sense to live just a bit longer.

For none, in the traveling group of misfits, would ever wish to lay their own burdens onto another.

But maybe they would have wished for a warning before they walked right into a room with two giant turrets aimed at them.

"Look out!" yelled Ashley as she quickly pulled herself behind the wall; The other three companions quickly following her example.

How many close calls did they need to have that particular day?

Leaning so-ever-carefully over, the Asari looked into the room to see that the turrets, indeed, were very much active, and locked onto their position.

"First the vaults, then the cafeteria, and now here," she stated in frustration as she pulled herself away from the opening. Locking eyes with the Commander she said, "What in the name of the Goddess is going on?"

That's what Shepard had been wondering the entire time they entered the base.

"The security turrets shouldn't be on," said Dr. Ivers from her own crouched position next to the Commander, "Someone must have activated them to their offensive routine."

"So how do we get past them?" asked Shepard as she to, slowly leaned out to peer into the room.

After a moment's pause, Dr. Ivers replied, "We'll need to get to the control center to deactivate them. It's the only way we'll be able to use the tramway without getting killed along the way."

Oh, if only she knew...

Gazing down at the doctor, Shepard quickly said, "Good. Where's the control station?"

Dr. Ivers could only stare at the Commander in silence, her expression unreadable, as she raised a hand and pointed into the room.

… Not even going to comment.

But Ashley on the other hand, obviously felt the need to. "Well that's just great," she ground out as she glared at the floor.

"But there may be a way to get past them," Dr. Ivers quickly added as she cast a glance up at the Commander, "This particular type of turret may be powerful, but it has one fatal flaw: Its slow as a Hanar out of water when its trying to lock onto moving targets. I mean, this system was designed more to suppress enemies, rather than kill them. If we're careful, and stick to cover, we can make our way to the control station and such it down."

Just another game of 'dive, duck and run-like-hell'.

No problem.

… Maybe.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Shepard as she threw another wary glance into the room. Those guns were indeed big.

The doctor gave a determined nod, her gaze never wavering off the Commander's.

Well then, that settled it.

"Alright," said Shepard as she holstered her weapons, "everyone stick to cover and move fast. Don't give it a chance to target you." Just as the Commander was about to take her first step into the room, Ashley quickly proclaimed, "I'll go first," and ran past Shepard before the Commander could react.

Damnit Williams, you hothead.

Upon seeing a new, moving target, the turrets slowly locked onto Ashley. They fired rapidly upon the defensive woman, who in turn, stuck closely to cover. Taking, what Shepard could guess, was a few calming breathes, Ashley quickly rolled from her cover, once more into the open. In a few long strides, she made it to the next point; Ducking down as the bullets began to damage her shields.

It was at this point, that the Commander realized that she had been holding her breath.

And of course, Ashley didn't help when she sarcastically hollered, "See, it's a walk in the park!"

That alone, brought a breathless chuckle from Shepard.

Seeing an opening in the turrets' movement, Liara quickly followed behind Ashley; Sticking closely to cover in her own attempt to remain unscathed. With a gracefulness, that the Commander would had never guessed the Asari had, Liara made her we from cover to cover; Always remaining a few paces behind Ashley. Looking down at the now, very nervous Dr Ivers, Shepard gave what she believed was a comforting smile, and motioned for Ivers to enter the room.

The doctor hesitated, partly because she was waiting for the right time, and partly out of fear. The Commander had begun to wonder in that mere instant how one, a simple woman with no combat experience, would find the strength to jump 'headfirst' into the fray of danger. People such as Shepard and her past companions were expected to do as such. But for people like Ivers, individual's who planned on living quiet lives with their families, if they had one, until the day they died of old age... Or at least, was the common conception of dying peacefully. To ask Dr. Ivers to enter that one room, where the balance of life and death was like asking a child to explain Albert Einstein's theory of E=mc2.

It was simply 'the unknown' to the young doctor.

But then again, it was also a 'sink or swim' situation.

Shepard watched in silence as Dr. Ivers took a slow breath; An attempt to calm her rigid limbs and fluttering stomach. Casting one last glance at the Commander, the doctor then locked her eyes onto her destination. Raising herself up from her crouch to stand at the 'ready-to-run-the-fuck-away' position; She tensed. Completely still and focused on her objective. Seconds ticked by, as did Shepard's heart.

One. Bump.

Two. Budump

Three.

At a speed the Commander never imagined from such a woman, the doctor quickly dashed for cover. The heels of her shoes clicked loudly as she ran past the first point of cover. Then the second.

What the hell was she doing?

And that was when Shepard saw the turret gun lock onto the running Dr. Ivers. It felt as thought Shepard's heart stopped in that one moment.

"Duck" thought Shepard as she too, ran into the room, "Find cover!"

A grunt escaped Shepard as she felt the bullets of the other turret damage her shields; Cursing herself for forgetting the presence of the other large gun. Ducking behind one of the few scattered crates, the Commander looked for her comrades and released a sigh of relief as Ashley and Liara reached the control center's door. Rolling to the next crate, another glance confirmed that Dr. Ivers had made it past the turrets and was quickly sprinting up the stairs toward the other two women. Shepard couldn't help but feel proud of the doctor for both her bravery and stupidity. The Commander made a note to have a talk with her about taking cover in a fire zone after they got off the base.

Sprinting to the next available cover, the Commander once more glanced toward her companions to find the still standing at the door.

A roll to another crate later, and the three were still there... outside the door.

After a few close calls at dodging **both **turrets locked onto her, Shepard finally made it to the stairs; Her breath coming in sharp, quick gasps and her body burning with adrenaline. To say that she dearly wished for a rest, a sit, a nap, or some energy juice did not seem to appease what the Commander really desired: Some sleep.

Of course, that idea was quickly slapped away when Shepard saw her entourage still standing outside their salvation.

What the hell?

"What are you doing?" Shepard nearly screamed as she bolted toward the other three women. The sound of hydraulics filled the air as the two turrets made their way into position.

It would not be long now.

Liara's own fingers trembles as she quickly typed on her omnitool; Her own eyes were wide with fear, and she appeared to be on the brink of tears. "I can't get the door open," she said as she continued typing, "The doors are under lockdown with the same coding from before." But still, the Asari coninuted typing code, after code, after code. Praying that one, anyone one, from the mot advance to the simplest she could think of, would work. And yet, no matter how hard the young Asari tried, the doors would not open.

And that was when they heard it. The silencing of the turrets mechanism, and the priming of guns.

This was it.

"Dr. Ivers," said Liara as she knelt down and placed a biotic sphere around their small group, "We need you to get this door open. Now." The mentioned doctor, wasted little time in taking the Asari's place. Her own omnitool came to life as she began the straining process of inputting several codes that could open the door. And just like for Liara, the door refused to open.

So this was it.

Turning so that she faced the large and powerful guns, the Commander stood ready. She always thought she would die in battle. In truth, it was how she wished to die; Valiantly and with dignity. But after meeting so many people, especially Garrus, an individual that taught her how to love another, she couldn't help but feel cold. No, she didn't want to die like this. Not by battle, not by being crushed by building debri, not by being spaced, not by being crushed by a Reaper, and certainly not by these turrets. Though she somewhat hated to admit it, the Commander wanted to die 'quietly'; Of old age, alongside Garrus, surrounded by their children and their children's children. That was what Shepard wanted. A mere fraction of her life devoted to living a peaceful life alongside her family and friends, no matter how dysfunctional it may be. And the more Shepard thought about it in those few seconds, the more she desired that life.

Those thoughts alone, simply added to the Commander's resolve into ending the war, and living to tell the tale.

She just didn't know which one she desired most.

But it didn't seem to matter then. Here she was, the great Commander Shepard, first human Specter, defeater of Saren and the Collectors, the bane of the Reapers, about to die by an outdated turret.

What a way to go.

…

Well it would have been if the turrets hadn't suddenly powered down; The slight scraping of metal and the groan of pressure breaking the silence the the two guns 'slumped' in there posts.

Silence, was the only thing that followed.

Once again, what the hell?

Liara, though cautious at first, released her biotics, allowing the shield to drop and her body to relax. Shepard knew from experience how stressful biotics were, even for the Asari, and gave an appreciative nod to the young scientist. Liara, only offered a strained smiled as she straightened herself to stand; Her body once more filled with the regal grace one would expect from her race.

The slight yelp of Dr. Ivers caused the Commander to quickly spin around, her gun drawn on instinct. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see that Ashley and Liara had done the same. But her attention became suddenly locked upon the blockade. Or lack there of. Her amber eyes widened a fraction to see the door had been opened.

"Well," began Ashley as she relaxed her body, and out her rifle on her back, "It's a little late, but at least the door is open now."

Indeed.

Putting her own pistol away, the Commander walked forward to stand next to the still-startled Dr. Ivers. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, a touch that received a flinch from the other woman, Shepard said, "Good job Dr. Ivers. Now we can keep moving forward."

There was a pause, one that told the Commander something was troubling the doctor now.

"Well, though I would love to be the hero in this moment... I didn't open the door Commander." She paused, before bashfully adding, "At least, I don't think I did..."

"What?" Shepard asked in a tone of both shock and slight frustration; Though she would be more inclined to think she was surprised at the strange proclamation.

As if they needed anymore surprises that day.

"Don't get me wrong, I was trying to get the damnable thing to open but... Someone beat me to it." continued the doctor as she deactivated her omnitool. In silence, the traveling companions stood before the door, each hoping, each daring to think the near impossible.

"Another survivor?" Liara finally asked, "Perhaps they are inside?"

Though it was a theory that Shepard would have loved to embrace, she simply could not help herself but allow that tiny voice in the back of her mind to fill her with doubt. Slight though, as it may be, sich doubt has held her back before. It kept her from saving the ones she loved on Mindoir, it kept her from protecting the individuals under her command on Akuze, and it nearly destroyed her sanity during her battles against Saren and the Collectors. All these years for it to build, to stack, to modify, to grow. Never before had Shepard felt so much doubt within herself.

But then again, she could not risk for it to hold her back now.

Even if they were wrong, that no survivors were awaiting there entrance beyond the doorway, she could at least continue to hope; Hope that others may still be saved.

"With any luck," began Shepard, "I'm just glad whoever may be in there turned off the turrets before it was too late."

Very, very, very glad.

Apparently, the joy of surviving, yet another, near death experience, seemed to the young Dr. Iver's head. With a holler, that can be described as on of excitement, she said, "Well lets get in there!" Before anyone of the other woman could stop her, Dr. Iver quickly made her way into the doorway; Taking a sharp turn to the right, and disappearing from sight."

She was much calmer when the trio first found her...

"Dr. Ivers, wait!" yelled Shepard as she rushed in after the other woman, with Ashley and Liara following close behind.

Definitely much calmer.

Note: So I'm gonna stop here because I forgot to 'flesh out' the dialogue on this part -_-. So tell me what you guys think so far. If you have any concerns, feel free to review so that I can make some alterations, corrections, ect.


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